$2000 for a seat at the footy? Rugby World Cup tickets hit new heights

At almost $2000, it is comfortably the most expensive single ticket in Australian footy history.

But the head of the 2027 World Cup says the hefty price for a category one seat at the final at Accor Stadium next year – $1950 – is a fair cost for a premium event, and helps unlock more affordable tickets at other World Cup games, too.

The next stage of ticket sales for the 2027 World Cup begins on Tuesday, when the “Application Phase” begins. It follows the sale of the first 750,000 tickets in controversial pre-sales stage in February.

The chaotic pre-sale prompted backlash from angry fans, who suffered 10-hour waits and system crashes on the overwhelmed World Cup ticketing website

There shouldn’t be any reason for similar drama in the second ticket sale phase. Fans are being told there’s no rush; they have two weeks to apply for their ticket choices and there is no “first in, first served” preference. If games are oversubscribed, a ballot system is used.

Some ticket prices to the big games may still raise the hackles of a few fans, however.

In what represents as the most expensive single ticket at a World Cup (and not counting hospitality packages) since the inaugural tournament in 1987, the top-priced category one ticket for the final on November 13 at Accor Stadium is $1950.

It is almost $400 more than the 2023 World Cup final in Paris, and $600 more than the 2019 decider. The most expensive ticket to the 2003 World Cup final in Australia, at the same venue, was $450; which is cheaper than a category four ticket in 2027.

It’s not quite Australia’s most expensive sporting ticket – that mantle is held by the courtside seats at the men’s final of the Australian Open tennis tournament. Those tickets for the 2025 final began at $2400 and quickly shot up to over $9000 under a dynamic pricing system (where prices are adjusted according to demand).

But the World Cup’s $1950 ticket still dwarfs the most expensive seat-only tickets at State of Origin ($509), the NRL grand final ($409) and the AFL grand final ($515), and even VIP tickets at the Formula One ($1045) and recent tours of Taylor Swift ($1295) and Oasis ($1100).

The most expensive tickets to see the FIFA Women’s World Cup final in 2023, and the Asian Cup final this year, at Accor Stadium were in the $150 range.

“We looked at various benchmarks across different events and different sports, and developed the pricing strategy that we came up with,” Rugby World Cup 2027 managing director Chris Stanley said.

“There’s a lot of work that goes into developing our ticketing strategy, and we’re really keen to provide as many tickets as we could at the bottom end. We had originally a million tickets under a hundred bucks, which obviously sold a lot of those in the pre-sale.

“So, to make it accessible, like all major events, there is an element where you have to charge more at the top end.”

The 2027 World Cup isn’t using the controversial dynamic pricing system, which also led to tickets for the FIFA World Cup final in the US in July soaring as high as $46,000.

Big pool games featuring Australia, England, Ireland and New Zealand have the highest ticket prices, and category one tickets are $890 or higher from the quarter-finals on.

But World Cup organisers also sought to provide far more tickets at “affordable” prices in 2027, with a million tickets – or 30 per cent of the total 2.5 million – costing less than $100. The cheapest seats are $20 for a child and $40 for an adult in multiple venues.

Lowest category tickets for Wallabies games and early play-offs are also available from $65, and the cheapest ticket to attend the final is $175.

Stanley said money raised at men’s World Cups is the main source of revenue for World Rugby “which then goes back into the game” over the next four years.

“So it’s getting that balance right from the higher-end tickets all the way down to the bottom and making sure we pitch it right for every match,” he said.

World Rugby and Rugby Australia are co-hosting the 2027 World Cup in a new joint venture model that eliminates financial risk for the host nation. RA will get a flat fee of $100 million.

Stanley said World Rugby was “blown away” by the interest in the pre-sale phase, in which fans from 135 countries bought tickets.

Stanley said supporters could opt to use a new “All Out Advantage” feature in their ticket application, whereby a fan can secure tickets in a higher or lower category if they miss out with their original order.

A third and final general sale of remaining tickets held at the end of the year, Stanley said.