but ultimately worth it for the experience. Morten Oftedal, a Norwegian living in Atlanta, spent about 3,600 in cash and points to bring himself, his 82-year-old father, and his wife to see Norway vs Iraq in Massachusetts. With tickets at \380 each and flights consuming 180,000 frequent flyer points, he described the cost as "insane" and felt the tournament caters to "corporate America" rather than individuals.

Iain Bagwell, a British expat in Atlanta, paid $1,200 per ticket for England v Croatia in Dallas — calling it "daylight robbery" at first. He and his son are camping during their road trip to save money. A Bosnian couple, Alisa and Admir Maric, flew from Bosnia to Toronto, spending CAD1,250 per ticket, \600 per night on a hotel, and $1,150 per flight — totaling roughly CAD$5,400. Sisters Aida and Emina Tucic paid CAD$1,200 each for their tickets, acknowledging the price was "probably not" fair, but calling the experience "priceless." In Mexico, ticket prices were especially steep. Outside the Azteca Stadium, few fans paid less than $1,500, and some spent up to $4,000. Aaron Vieyra paid 30,000 pesos ($1,750) per ticket for himself and his girlfriend — noting that single ticket cost about three months' rent for many Mexico City residents. He spent more on that one game than on combined matches he'd seen in Brazil and Russia. Stadium food and drink prices vary widely: a 16oz beer costs $16 at the NYNJ Stadium but only $5 for a 12oz in Atlanta. A train ticket from Penn Station to the NYNJ Stadium was hiked from $12.90 to $98 for World Cup matches, with the governor saying FIFA isn't contributing to the $48 million transit costs.

Some relief exists: New York City's mayor secured 1,000 fifty-dollar tickets for residents via lottery, Ontario passed the Putting Fans First Act to curb resale prices, and Dallas is offering free stadium transport. Despite the costs, every fan interviewed said the memories made it worthwhile. As Oftedal put it: "The worry about money goes away after a while." (BBC)