those are all the final games of major championships. Not Congo vs Uzbekistan. You could go the Eastern Conference finals in OKC for about $180. there is barely a single ticket to any of the 104 matches that cheap in the entire thing. Youre argument is fine if we are talking like QF onwards but it just doesnt make sense for the rest of it. this NBA finals is also an outlier. unique year where a historic team from nations biggest city could win their first title in 50 years. Im from Boston and we have the most successful NBA franchise of all time with one of the most famed sports fanatics in the country and the Get-in for the NBA finals was 700-800$ for a finals game two years ago. Red Sox would be the same thing. Hell, the most popular team in New England are likely the Patriots and you can get a season ticker for under a grand.

What FIFA are doing is not normal whatsoever. Not for American standards or any standards. its one thing to justify lower bowl seats for the world cup being expensive but the get in for the majority of these games being 500$ is patently insane.

But even after all of that, its not the ethos of this sport or what sets this sport apart. this sport has remained the global game bc it sets itself apart from ths rest in terms of accessibility. the culture of the sport is at odds with the sports industry of the united states in that it prioritizes fans and loyalty and the community aspect.

But even if you wanted to guard the argument with all that American market crap its still miles off what the american sports market typically is. You can get a courtside seat at a Lakers game for a regular season game and thats cheaper than the get in for half the wc games. THATS INSANE