Kam Curl, a star of NFL side the Los Angeles Rams, has found that watching football at his own stadium comes with an astronomical price tag. Asked about the ticketing policy for the 2026 World Cup, the American football man made clear there was no special treatment on offer. "No, cuz they told me, we got to pay full price," Curl explained.
SoFi Stadium, rebranded Los Angeles Stadium for the duration of the tournament, will host eight matches, yet not even the home athletes get a break at the gate. And the numbers are eye-watering: the cheapest seat for Mexico against South Africa climbed to $3,968, while a ticket for the United States' match came in at $1,137.
There is a clear irony to it for Curl. He is one of the men who packs out those same stands through the NFL season, and now he faces following the world's biggest tournament from his couch.
Even so, he has one professional request, and it concerns what is underfoot. "I'm going to just tell them just leave it out there," he said, pushing for the natural grass laid down for the football to stay put rather than revert to artificial turf.
And the bigger question lingers. If a millionaire athlete is priced out of his own stadium, how affordable will sport's grandest party really be for the ordinary fan?
