“The prices charged at food stands have already made the rounds on social networks…notes The Athletic. “Some international fans are outraged by these prices, while many American fans, accustomed to excessive stadium prices, wonder why there is such a reaction….
“There is no uniform set menu at food stalls for the World Cup, and venues are free to set food and drink prices as they see fitâ€explains the sports site of New York Times.
Result: prices vary from one stadium and one country to another – the 2020 World Cup6 is co-organized by Mexico, the United States and Canada – but invariably remain prohibitive. At SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, for example, the cheapest snack is a bean and cheese burrito, selling for $16.50 (€14.40), excluding taxes.
“Life is nothing without beer…
But it is in the drinks section that the prices are the most frightening: at the MetLife stadium, near New York, you have to pay 16 dollars for a 454 ml can of American beer – a good deal compared to the 18.50 dollars it costs in Los Angeles or the 23 dollars posted in Santa Clara, near San Francisco.
The Athletic recalls that at Wembley Stadium, one of the most expensive in the United Kingdom, spectators “can expect to pay between 6 and 8.50 pounds including VAT (between 5.75 and 9.80 euros) for a 568 ml pint of beer….
The situation is hardly any more enviable in Canada. The Guardian spoke to German fans who “outraged by the price of beer in Torontoâ€.
Mats Kauer, 47, notes that “in Germany, we pay around 6 or 7 dollars a pint, while here, it’s more between 10 and 14 dollars, and up to 17 dollars in the stadium. It’s ridiculous. We need to lower prices, because life is nothing without beer…
For some, however, the prices charged are “in the order of thingsâ€reports the Toronto Star. “No matter what sporting event you attend, it’s quite expensive…declared Brad Thompson to the daily newspaper, during Canada’s opening home match on June 12.
Minimum wage
And don’t count on Mexico to lower the bill: at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City, a pint of beer costs around 310 pesos (15.60 euros), or approximately “the legal daily minimum wage in Mexicoâ€which has risen since January 1 to 315.04 pesos, observes the Spanish edition of Huff Post.
De façon gérale, “the price of beer at World Cups has increased significantly over the last five tournamentsâ€note ESPN.
According to the sports site, “Between 2006 and 2018, the approximate price of a pint ranged from $1 to $5. Since then, prices have skyrocketed during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where fans had to pay between $14 and $16.50… for the same pint. Records which should be largely broken during the 2026 World Cup.
As philosophically summarized by Huff Post, â€It is common knowledge that prices at major events are exorbitant†et “borders on the ridiculousâ€. This World Cup will be no exception and watching the matches on television might not be such a bad idea: “Those who stayed at home will drink for less….
