The Cost of Being There: How Much It Takes to Attend the World’s Biggest Sporting Events in 2026
Summarize this post
There’s nothing quite like watching the championship for your favorite sport. The noise, the drama, the tension, history being made in real time; it’s why millions of fans tune in every year.
But while watching is easy, being there in person is another story.
Two years ago, we surveyed 3,000 sports fans across nine major championship events to find out how much they’d be willing to spent to attend; and how attainable those bucket-list moments really were, especially as ticket prices continued to surge.
Now with the long-awaited World Cup kicking off this summer, alongside the NBA Finals, Stanley Cup Finals, Indy 500, and other major events, we’ve revisited the data.
In this updated study of 3,406 North American fans, we explored how affordable it is to attend the world’s biggest sporting events today; and how those costs stack up against fans’ average annual salaries in both the US and Canada.
Key Highlights:
- The FIFA World Cup is the most sought-after event for North Americans, with nearly 1 in 4 fans choosing it – yet attending costs nearly a quarter (23%) of the average annual salary
- North Americans are willing to splurge the most for the World Cup ($1,739), but this only covers 12% of the actual ticket cost
- The Masters is the least attainable event, with fans able to cover just 5% of the ticket price, and tickets costing over 41% of annual salary
- Motorsports events like the NASCAR Cup Series are highly attainable, with fan budgets covering over 100% of ticket costs, despite relatively low popularity
- The MLB World Series strikes a balance between cost and accessibility, requiring only 4% of annual salary while maintaining strong fan interest
2026’s most sought-after championship events for North Americans
#1 – FIFA World Cup
Our original survey two years ago showed that the Super Bowl dominated as the most sought-after event among North American fans (34%).
But heading into 2026, the landscape has shifted.
The FIFA World Cup now ranks 1st overall, with 23.7% of fans naming it as their most desired event to attend, making it the most in-demand championship across Americans and Canadians.
🇺🇸 United States
Since our previous study, interest in the World Cup has surged. It now ranks 2nd (20.7%), up from 4th place previously, revealing a 97% increase in demand.
🇨🇦 Canada
For Canadians, the World Cup remains firmly in 1st place, with 31.6% of fans choosing it as their top event.
The Stanley Cup Finals come in second (19.1%), but with a significant gap; highlighting just how dominant global the World Cup has become among Canadian audiences.
Whether that’s driven by international appeal, hosting buzz, or a certain recent Stanley Cup Playoffs heartbreak… we’ll let you decide.
#2 – Super Bowl
The Super Bowl ranks as the 2nd most sought-after event across North America (21.8%).
This level of interest isn’t surprising, considering how the Super Bowl LX roped in 125.6 million viewers, reinforcing its status as one of the biggest spectacles in sports.
🇺🇸 United States
Although the Super Bowl technically holds onto 1st place among American fans (27.1%), its popularity has fallen by 30% since our previous study (previously 33.8%).
🇨🇦 Canada
Just 7.7% of Canadian fans rank it as their top event, placing it 6th overall for the Great White North sports fans.
However, it’s possible that Canadians favor a mix of domestic and global competitions, with the Stanley Cup Finals, NBA Finals, Olympics, and MLB World Series all ranking higher; reflecting the country’s ties to hockey, basketball and baseball.
#3 – NBA Finals
The NBA Finals rank as the 3rd most sought-after championship event in North America, with 12.8% of fans naming it their top choice. Unlike other events, interest in the NBA Finals has remained largely unchanged since our previous study.
🇺🇸 United States
In the US, 13.11% of American sports fans say the NBA Finals are their desired event to attend, keeping it firmly in 3rd place behind the Super Bowl and World Cup.
🇨🇦 Canada
Canadian fans show a similar level of interest, with 11.9% ranking the NBA Finals at their top choice.
This places it among the country’s most popular events, highlighting the NBA’s continued growth and strong cross-border appeal.
How much can fans spend to attend?
Across North America, the World Cup commands the highest spending intentions with fans willing to pay an average of $1,739 USD to attend – significantly more than any other major sporting event. The Super Bowl follows at $1,377, while event likes the Masters ($1,187) and Formula 1 Grand Prix ($1,132) also rank among the top.
Americans, specifically, are willing to spend the most on the World Cup ($2,116 USD), even more than the Super Bowl, given the surge in popularity. Canadian fans report higher budgets overall, with the Super Bowl up top at $2,176 CAD, followed by the World Cup and Stanley Cup Finals.
On the lower end, events like the Indy 500 ($277) and the NASCAR Cup Series ($467) attract far smaller budgets, reflecting both lower demand and more accessible price points. But the overall trend is clear: fans are willing to spend big on bucket-list sports events.
How attainable are these events for fans?
When comparing what fans are willing to spend against actual ticket prices, a clear divide – or reality check – emerges between dream events and realistic ones.
Across all current ticketing platforms, events like Formula 1 Grand Prix and the NASCAR Cup Series rank among the most attainable, with fan budgets often meeting – or exceeding – the cost of a ticket. The recent 2024 Summer Olympics and Indy 500 also sit comfortably within reach for fans, with relatively affordable ticket prices and higher budget flexible from fans, especially for significant events like the Olympics.
On the other end, premium events remain far less accessible for fans. The World Cup, despite being the most popular event, sees fans’ budgets cover just around 12% of ticket costs overall. The Super Bowl and NBA Finals fall somewhere in the middle, requiring roughly 9-11% of annual salary to attend; still a financial commitment for most fans. Depending on the city, that’s equivalent to about 2-4 months of rent!
Standing apart from all events is The Masters, ranking the least attainable overall. With tickets costing up to 41% of the annual salary among US respondents and 46% in Canadian respondents, it reveals the biggest affordability gap in sports. It truly reinforces its status as one of the most exclusive experiences for fans.
Interestingly enough, the affordability gap and popularity surge has drastically changed fans’ priorities and financial budgets since our last study.
📈 The (financial) tables have turned: 2024 vs 2026 survey results
Just two years ago, the World Cup ranked as one of the most affordable events for fans. On average, they were willing, and able, to spend 119% of the average ticket price. Granted, the average 2022 World Cup ticket stood at $855 USD, but fans were willing to spend $1,020 USD to secure a ticket.
Whereas now, fans have upped their budget significantly to an average of $1,739 across North America ($2,116 USD in the US and $2,176 CAD in Canada), but tickets have surged even faster. The average 2026 World Cup ticket now sits at a staggering $14,232 across current ticket selling platforms.
A similar shift can be seen with The Masters. Previously ranked as the 3rd most affordable event, fans could cover over half (54.6%) of the ticket. As you can see in our updated survey, it’s now the least affordable, with fans only being able to afford 4.7% of the ticket cost.
How much of your salary does your dream event ticket cost?
To help put ticket prices into perspective, we compared them against the average annual salary among our respondents – around $61,513 USD across North America, $64,400 USD in the US, and $73,672 CAD in Canada.
[Flourish chart with overall rankings, US rankings, and CA rankings]
The Masters, once again, stands out as the most expensive, with tickets costing up to 41% of annual salary in the US and 46% in Canada – nearly half a year’s income for a single event!
The World Cup also commands a significant share, requiring around 22-26% of yearly salary, reinforcing how costly global events can be despite their popularity.
More mainstream events fall into a mid-range bracket. As mentioned earlier, the Super Bowl (10.8%) and NBA Finals (9.5%) costs around 9-11% of annual income. To put that into perspective, that’s around the same amount many North Americans invest over an entire year for retirement!
Other events like the Stanley Cup Finals (8%) and the World Series (4.1%) are relatively more accessible in comparison.
At the lower end, the Olympics, Formula 1, NASCAR, and Indy 500 require less than 2% of fans’ annual salaries, making it more financially attainable for fans to attend.
The final whistle (Conclusion)
From the World Cup to the NBA Finals, one thing is clear: fans’ passion for live sport hasn’t changed, but the cost of being there has.
Fans are willing to spend more than ever to attend the biggest sporting events. But as ticket prices continue to rise (often outpacing those budgets), many of these experiences are becoming increasingly out of reach. Whether that’s driven by resale markets, rising demand, or pricing strategies from leagues and organizers, the result remains the same: a widening gap between fans and the stand.
While some events remain relatively attainable, the biggest stages in sport are quickly turning into once-in-a-lifetime luxuries, rather than realistic plans. As we head into a summer packed with global championships, fans may once again, be left with a familiar choice: to watch from the stands or from the sofa?
Methodology
In April 2026, we surveyed 3,406 sports fans across North America to understand their interest in attending major championship events, spending habits, and perceived affordability. The average respondent age was 40.4 years old. The representative sample comprised of 75.1% male, 24.2% female, 0.4% non-binary, and 0.3% transgender participants.
For pricing analysis, we reviewed current average ticket prices across major resale and primary ticketing platforms for each championship event included in the study. All prices are listed in USD unless otherwise stated.
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