The 2026 World Cup has wrapped up the group stage, and now the knockout round begins, where Mexico and Ecuador will face off in a match that’s about much more than just a battle for a spot in the Round of 16. The match, to be played at the Estadio Ciudad de México, has also become the game with the most expensive tickets of all the Round of 32 matches.
According to Ticket Data, ticket prices for this match reach $2,800—about 49,000 Mexican pesos—the highest figure among all matches in this round. Next are Argentina vs. Cape Verde, with tickets priced at up to $2,272, and Portugal vs. Croatia, with tickets priced at $2,222.
Demand has also driven up resale prices. Platforms like StubHub are already offering seats for more than $3,000—nearly 50,000 Mexican pesos—in Section 620. However, the most exclusive sections exceed $17,000, equivalent to more than 300,000 Mexican pesos.
Among the highest prices are 65,451 pesos in the North Stand, section 656; 100,604 pesos in Section 331; 126,952 pesos for the FIFA Pavilion Hospitality; and up to 365,224 pesos in the Cabecera Sur, Section 424.
Tickets available directly from FIFA are practically sold out, and one of the few remaining options is the VIP Lounge, priced at around 153,000 pesos.
Despite the high cost of tickets, another sellout is expected at the Estadio Ciudad de México. The projection is for 80,824 fans, with Mexican supporters making up more than 90 percent of the crowd, continuing the trend seen at El Tri’s matches during this World Cup.
Meanwhile, on the Ecuadorian side, there is also strong anticipation to support their national team. After the matchup was confirmed, fans of La Tricolor expressed their dissatisfaction on social media over the scarcity of available tickets, noting that not enough seats were made available for South American fans.
However, FIFA has already allocated 8 percent of the stadium’s capacity to the Ecuadorian Soccer Federation—the percentage allocated to each participating team—which amounts to approximately 6,500 tickets for this match.
With a spot in the Round of 16 on the line, Mexico and Ecuador will face off in one of the most exciting matchups of the Round of 32. The group leader will take on one of the best third-place finishers in a packed stadium, with the most expensive tickets of the entire knockout stage so far.
