The FIFA World Cup is one of the most-watched sporting events in history. Die-hard soccer fans are determined to see a game live, despite the costs and the travel expense.
Some have saved for years, while others are gritting their teeth and laying out what it takes. Still others are seeing the games, which happen once every four years, as an investment in their family and their culture.
The Globe and Mail spoke with seven fans about their budget and expenses for this “once-in-a-lifetime” event.
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Stephen Podgórski
Kyneton, Australia
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Stephen Podgórski, 25, from a rural region of Australia northwest of Melbourne, has been planning his solo trip to the World Cup for the past six months. He picked up three jobs, knowing he would need to save money to attend the games.
“I work at an Amazon warehouse at night and during the day I do courier deliveries. On weekends, I am a professional wrestler,” said Mr. Podgórski, who is also a full-time student working towards a diploma in accounting and bookkeeping.
Now as the games approach, Mr. Podgórski has budgeted around $12,000 to attend three matches, in Vancouver, Seattle and San Jose, Calif. “I made a big spreadsheet with all the effects to the exact dollar of how much I am going to need for each portion of the trip, so that helped a lot. Hopefully I can stick to that,” he said.
This is also Mr. Podgórski’s first time travelling to North America and he is excited to visit.
Once his home country qualified in the games, the proud Australian knew he had to be there in person to cheer. In Vancouver, he will be attending the June 13 match between Australia and Turkey. One ticket to the game cost him about $520, which he bought through the Australian supporter ballot.
Hotel and short-term rental rates in Vancouver exceeded his budget, so Mr. Podgórski found a room in Surrey, B.C., costing just more than $300 for four nights.
“I want to be able to support Australia from the other side of the world, belting out our national anthem and being as Australian as I can be,” he said. “I am never going to get to experience this again if I don’t go.”
Jason Stewart
London, Ont.
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Jason Stewart pledged to go to Canada’s June 12 home opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina in Toronto the day it was announced. A lifelong soccer fan, the former banker in London, Ont., was committed to seeing in person the team that Canada head coach Jesse Marsch had assembled.
So he was not deterred when he was not selected for FIFA’s official ticket lotteries, the randomized draws that give fans a chance to buy tickets at face value. Nor was he discouraged when he browsed secondary marketplaces to find tickets listed at the inflated price of more than $3,000 each, before the Ontario government moved to crack down on resellers.
“I walked upstairs and just looked at my wife and said, ‘Can I?’ And she said, ‘Yes, go for it.’ ” Mr. Stewart, 55, said in an interview.
Including the costs of a hotel downtown, train travel from London and other planned expenses, Mr. Stewart expects he and his wife will spend about $15,000 for the weekend. He said he’s fortunate he can afford what he calls a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity without much worry, but also jests that any financial discomfort can be dealt with later. “As I always say, it’s future Jason’s problem,” he said.
The last time Mr. Stewart attended a World Cup match, he was nearly thrown out by security. It was the 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup final in Vancouver, and he noticed that U.S. vice-president Joe Biden was seated in a box nearby, cheering the United States on to its victory over Japan. “I screamed hello at him and he waved his hand,” Mr. Stewart recalled. “I then ran up to go say hi to him and the security guy politely escorted me around the corner.”
“It was like, ‘Oh yeah, I can’t do that, can I? Sorry, Joe.’ But that was a great game. A wonderful experience.”
Danielle Klaver
Vancouver
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Danielle Klaver justifies spending $12,000 on tickets to experience and watch the World Cup in her home city.
Ms. Klaver grew up playing soccer for 15 years, so it has always been an important part of her life. She also remembers watching the World Cup with her Danish father and cheering for Team Holland. Now 35 years old and living in Vancouver with her partner, Ms. Klaver is excited to see Canada play against Qatar on June 18. Her partner will also be attending the Canada vs. Switzerland game on June 24 and the Round 32 game on July 2.
“I am Canadian, so I feel lucky to get to see Canada play. I am okay with seeing one game in person and then enjoying all the activities in Vancouver,” she said.
It was not easy buying those tickets, Ms. Klaver said. When purchasing public tickets, fans have to sometimes go through four different ticket categories, separated by price range, seat availability and those closest to the field. After three ticket rounds, Ms. Klaver’s partner purchased four tickets to each of the three games. One ticket cost $1,000. “Instead of picking the cheapest tickets, he picked the most expensive. We are truly treating this as a bucket list, so I do not mind putting money towards it,” she added.
Although Ms. Klaver will not be attending any games with her father, she is planning on going to a viewing party on Granville Island with him, along with other events across the city. She hopes this event can evoke similar memories to when Vancouver played host to the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, which she remembers fondly. “To have experienced the Olympics here in my city and now FIFA, I do not think many people get that. It is once in a lifetime.”
“I just can’t believe I get to go,” she said.
Abhay Jetly
Calgary
Amir Salehi/Globe and Mail
After attending the 2022 World Cup games in Qatar, Abhay Jetly knew he had to attend the games in Canada when Vancouver was chosen as one of the host cities.
“I managed to go and watch three games in Qatar and it was a lot of fun. Now, it is nice to support a team that I consider home and I am excited about the games in Vancouver,” he said.
Mr. Jetly, 38, has been living in Calgary for 15 years and remembers buying tickets to the Qatar games only a week beforehand. He knew this would not be the case for this World Cup in North America, so he bought them as soon as he could.
He managed to get tickets to Canada vs. Switzerland on June 24, the Round 32 on July 2 and the Round 16 on July 7.
Mr. Jetley spent $700 to $800 on each ticket. Those were the cheapest available, he says.
“The three games I’m watching in Vancouver are significantly more expensive than the three quarter finals I watched in Qatar,” he added.
In order to save money on accommodation, Mr. Jetley is hoping to stay with friends in Vancouver. He also decided to only travel to Vancouver for the games and will not be attending any in Toronto.
“There’s an energy about local events and I am hoping this comes through in Vancouver. In Qatar, the city itself was pretty dead. There was not much happening. It was only when you got to the stadium that the fans were excited.”
Mr. Jetly hopes the World Cup will generate more soccer fans here in Canada. He is excited for the possibility of seeing big stars such as Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi compete.
“A Ronaldo and Messi lineup would be the perfect way to end both their World Cup careers,” he said. “I am hoping they play against each other.”
Reem Mohammed
Laval, Que.
Adil Boukind/The Globe and Mail
Reem Mohammed remembers the last time Iraq qualified for the World Cup in 1986, cheering on her country’s team alongside her brothers. At the time, she was only 11 years old and recalls the impact it had on Iraq, where she was born and raised.
“I come from a family that are big fans. We used to wait for the game and watch and go outside and cheer, ” Ms. Mohammed said.
In early April, it was announced that Iraq became the final country to qualify in the 2026 World Cup. Forty years after Iraq’s last appearance in the games, Ms. Mohammed, 51, knew she had to support her home country for this milestone event.
“This is in my blood,” she said.
Living in Laval, Que., with her family, Ms. Mohammed looked for games in Toronto, the closest venue, and managed to buy tickets to the June 26 match between Iraq and Senegal.
The tickets cost $530 each, and she bought them for herself and her two children after receiving a code.
“I was texting all over the place and in the end, I was able to get the codes and book my seats,” Ms. Mohammed said.
She will be driving the five and a half hours from Laval to Toronto, and says gas and hotel prices are high, but worth it for the games.
She and some friends found a hotel room to share from June 24 to June 28, for $730 in total.
“We are going to spend a lot of money on food and I already started shopping online for the Iraqi flag,” she said.
Ms. Mohammed will also be attending the official fan festival so her children will have the full experience.
“It is important, because they will see a lot of Iraqi people and I am getting goosebumps,” she said.
“It is a once-in-a-lifetime event for me.”
Steven Schindelka
New Westminster, B.C.
Jeff Vinnick/The Globe and Mail
Steven Schindelka is travelling to multiple host cities to watch some of his favourite teams play in the World Cup.
Mr. Schindelka, 38, will be spending around $10,000 on his World Cup expenses, which he has been saving up for.
“I am an insane sports fan, so during COVID-19, I started putting $100 a week into a sports fund account to watch sports when they became live again,” Mr. Schindelka said.
“I had enough money saved in there to accommodate these tickets and travel expenses,” he added.
Mr. Schindelka started playing soccer at 10 years old and started up again at 35 years old. He remembers watching the World Cup games with his father and rooting for England, where his family is from.
“I ended up recently purchasing tickets for the England match in New Jersey, so that is a dream come true. I am going to that game with my dad, so it will be fun for both of us.”
Along with the England vs. Panama game in New York on June 27, Mr. Schindelka will also be travelling to Seattle for Belgium’s match against Egypt on June 15 and flying to Mexico City for Round 16 on July 5.
After making a donation to CanadaRED, a program that provides soccer fans the chance to apply for World Cup tickets, Mr. Schindelka managed to also get tickets to two games in Vancouver. He will be watching Canada play against Qatar on June 18 and play against Switzerland on June 24 with his family.
“A worldwide event like this brings everyone together, just like the Olympics did here. I have never felt anything in Vancouver like the 2010 Olympics and I think that will be repeated with the World Cup.”
Zaid AlChalabi
Orlando, Fla.
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Zaid AlChalabi is traveling from Florida with his family to support the Iraqi team against Senegal on June 26.
However, getting four tickets to the game was a challenge, especially since Iraq was the last team to qualify in the games.
“The kids and my wife have never visited Toronto and finding tickets was Mission Impossible,” Mr. AlChalabi said.
“Waiting for the FIFA queue to get in was harder because I needed four tickets. So, it took me a good three days of multiple attempts to get the tickets,” he said.
He ultimately spent about $2,000 on the four tickets.
Mr. AlChalabi, 44, originally wanted to fly directly from Florida to Toronto with his family. However, due to the high cost of flights, they decided to fly to Buffalo and then from there rent a car to drive to Toronto. Additionally, he found a hotel for four nights at $250 per night, spending a total of $1,000 on accommodation.
Never being a huge soccer fan, Mr. AlChalabi – whose 13-year-old son enjoys the game and plays soccer – admits he is spending this amount of money because he wants his children to see Iraq play in the games after 40 years.
“We have been away from our country for over 15 years now, so it is important for us and the kids to support our country,” he said.
“It is emotional and important for us,” he added.
With a report from Andrea Woo
Editor’s note: A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Stephen Podgórski is from Northern Australia. He's from a region northwest of Melbourne.
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