Sports tourism / Although expensive, Albanian fans will watch the World Cup "live"

2026-06-14 15:13:20, Ekonomi CNA

Sports tourism / Although expensive, Albanian fans will watch the World Cup

For the first time in history, the World Cup will be held in three countries simultaneously: the USA, Canada and Mexico. This creates new opportunities for sports tourism. Travel agencies expect interest from fans who want to combine vacations with watching the matches.

For some Albanians, especially those with family in North America, the World Cup may serve as an additional motivation to organize a trip.

The "Ilirida Travel" agency announces that there has been considerable interest from Albanian citizens in the possibility of traveling to the USA during the World Cup.

According to them, some of the questions were related to the procedures for obtaining a US visa, although the agencies cannot directly assist in this process, as the application and interview are conducted personally by the applicant at the US Embassy.

However, according to tour operators, a good portion of the people who have expressed interest in attending the matches already have American visas from previous trips, which makes it easier to organize tour packages.

Interest is expected to increase further as the tournament approaches and the final match schedule is released.

Packages that include flights, accommodation and match tickets can cost several thousand euros per person, turning the tour into a tourism product in its own right. For the travel industry, this represents a new market that was almost non-existent until a few years ago.

According to international sports tourism operators, basic packages for the 2026 World Cup start at around $2,165 per person and include the hotel and some basic services.

Official FIFA hospitality packages are much more expensive. They start at around $1,400 for a single match and can exceed $6,750 for “Follow My Team” packages.

If an Albanian fan adds the flight from Tirana to the US or Canada, accommodation and daily expenses, a trip to the World Cup can cost between 4,000 and 7,000 euros per person.

Albanian diaspora, in the spotlight

A good part of the economy related to the World Cup could pass through the Albanian diaspora in the US and Canada. For Albanian communities in New York, Detroit, Boston, Toronto or Montreal, the tournament is not only a sporting event, but also a social and economic moment.

Restaurants, businesses, and community organizations often organize events related to the games, creating a small local economy around the event. This connection between the diaspora and the country of origin can also encourage travel, family visits, and additional spending.

How much does a ticket cost?

The 2026 World Cup is set to be the most expensive in history for fans. FIFA has released a limited ticket category of $60 for fans of participating teams, but the majority of tickets cost much more. For some matches, prices have exceeded $1,000 per ticket, while for the final, the highest prices have reached $10,990./Monitor