Michelle Tchea
Michelle Tchea's Most Recent Stories
- How the World’s Biggest Sporting Events Became the Ultimate Destination for Wealthy Travelers
- The Luxe Hotels That Let You Sleep Next to the World’s Finest Artwork
- The Hotel Shakeup That’s Changing the Presidential Suite Forever
Football, a.k.a. the people’s game, requires a ball, two goals, and 11 people aside to play. To be a spectator at this summer’s FIFA World Cup—the pinnacle of the sport, which kicks off with group stages on June 11—could cost upward of $10,000 a ticket. Cheap seats hover around four figures in some stadiums. The 2026 World Cup is breaking records left and right, with three countries (the United States, Mexico, and Canada—the most ever) playing host to an expanded roster of 48 national teams and an unprecedented 104 matches across 16 cities. The sheer volume of game days should mean a glut of opportunity to buy tickets to witness the magic in person—except this tournament is also making headlines as “the most expensive World Cup ever” for fans to attend. Thanks to dynamic ticket pricing and soaring fuel and transportation costs, as well as the rising currency for sports tickets-as-prestige-items, the people’s game currently belongs to the 1 percent.
There’s a whole new culture in sports and it’s catering to an audience of enthusiasts—just not necessarily sports fans. Even a casual observer could be captivated by a year that includes the Olympics in Italy and the World Cup. “Worldwide sporting events have skyrocketed and the demand is there,” says Diedra Pyle, co-founder of Fioraé Luxury Travel, who cites a surge in interest for combining sports and travel. The global interest in sports tourism has been on the rise for at least the last five years, and 2026 is an example of the direction it’s moving in. Sports-as-entertainment is catering to the high-net-worth (HNW) traveler, and it’s all a numbers game.
The Marquee Events Building Luxe Experiences
The sports tourism industry is currently worth $707.29 billion and is set to hit $1.3 trillion by 2032. Globally, the biggest events include soccer (FIFA and Premier League), Grand Slam tennis, the NBA finals and the Super Bowl, racing (be it F1, NASCAR, or the Tour de France), golf, and global multisport events like the Olympics—all contributing to 10 percent of the total tourism market.
“Sports are taking over the world and hitting every corner. When combined with travel and hospitality, it becomes a gold mine of opportunity to cash in on,” says Julie Danziger, co-founder of Embark Beyond. For instance, since 2021, an additional 50 million people have been to at least one Formula 1 event; the 2024 season saw record attendance at not just the highly sought-after Monaco Grand Prix but across all 24 races. The demographic is also growing beyond the average male sports addict who watches ESPN religiously—more women in both the Middle East and Asia Pacific are following the new drivers, according to Nielsen Sports.
Driving the sports industry forward is what travel experts are calling “experiential exclusivity.” The new culture in sports is not just about being there but the level of access. “Access is number one,” says Danziger. “High-net-worth travelers don’t want a great seat at a top event—they want to be in the action. They want to be immersed in it—it’s a go big or go home situation.”
Consider the billing for the F1 Garage offer: “Experience the race from the Pit Lane. Totally raw. Totally sensory. Totally immersive. Closer than close, you’re right there in the heart of the action. You won’t miss a single detail from inside the Garage.” Do they ask you to change the oil while you’re at it? Or how about the AO Reserve package at the Australian Open (from $2,999 with an omakase dinner), which includes leather seats on the court—so close to the action, fans could receive a shiner off Jannik Sinner’s miss-hit. Just one perk well-heeled sports fans like Liam Hemsworth and Russell Crowe are vying for these days.
Stakes are high, too. It’s a social competition among the elite and it’s all about exclusivity and exactly how much free-flowing Champagne is on offer. “Just getting in isn’t good enough,” says Pyle. “HNWTs are frequently looking for greater access and better hospitality, and it has turned into a scenario where access goes to the highest bidder.”
At the 2026 World Cup, high-level hospitality packages have mirrored those found at the Olympics in Paris and Milano-Cortina where the super-rich were rumored to have spent as much as $500,000 on “ultra-exclusive” packages. Via the official FIFA website, the Follow My Team package included all the early group stage matches, access to four lounges—and started at $6,000 for the most basic package. Even just entry-level tickets for the first U.S. men’s national team match of this World Cup—at Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium versus Paraguay—started around $1,400. Tier 1 tickets were about $3,400.
“Ultimately, clients want to experience the event in the best possible way, without friction. To arrive, be taken care of, and fully immerse themselves in the moment. It is the difference between attending something and truly experiencing it,” says Erica Jackowitz, co-founder of Rêve Travel Club. “For the World Cup, we are looking at a starting point of $32,000 per ticket for top-tier hospitality, which will include multiple layers [of access] from pre- and post-match experiences to locking in a single helipad available at the Meadowlands.”
Taking Gameday Beyond the Stadium
While corporate hospitality has always existed at sporting events (think suites, boxes, and access to locker rooms), it’s one of the main drivers moving the sports industry forward. Within that category, luxury hotels are stepping into the action, too—or leaping, more accurately. In Miami, one of the World Cup host cities, the W South Beach offered a “Million-Dollar Soccer Superstar Package” valued at…yup, $1 million. The experience included multiple nights in the two-bedroom Oceanfront Penthouse residence overlooking the Atlantic, VIP match-day access and police escort to Miami matches, as well as daily cigars and tours of local rum distilleries. Next door the 1 Hotel South Beach package included 20 club-level suite tickets, 10 one-bedroom ocean-view homes for three nights, and a $10,000 food and beverage credit (for $475,000+). In Houston, a World Cup package at the Post Oak hotel started at $15,000—which included massages, round-trip transportation to games, and a dedicated World Cup concierge. In Boston, a $75,000 “Goal-den Legendary Experience” started by checking into the presidential suite at the Liberty Hotel, followed by private helicopter transfers to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass. It wasn’t alone in Boston, as the Langham was also offering transport to the stadium via Bell Helicopter.
As the sports industry caters specifically to the super-rich, sports fans are arguing they are being “priced out” with both experiences and ticket sales. Knockout round World Cup tickets rose more than 34 percent, according to sports analysts with the minimum ticket price to get into the final starting at $7,600 on some ticketing sites.
“It’s become more than just going and watching a sporting event. It has become a conversation piece, fashion statement, and even a status symbol,” says Danziger. Robb Report Travel Master Jason Squatriglia agrees: “For the Kansas City Chiefs games last season, I had multiple requests for the ‘closest available suite to Taylor Swift,’ which certainly highlights that the sporting events have pivoted away from being about the game itself.”
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Source: Robb Report
