MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, FLA. (WSVN) – As the FIFA fever continues to grow across South Florida, one airline unveiled a specially designed plane to celebrate the World Cup. Meanwhile, fans eager to attend the game should expect to pay a pretty penny, as ticket prices are already soaring.
While the World Cup remains a few months away, fans celebrated early inside a hangar at Miami International Airport.
“Miami is the perfect that that FIFA chose to have their headquarters. That says a lot,” said American Airlines official Fabiola Portes-Cruz.
At the center of the party, an American Airlines jet was wrapped with the FIFA World Cup trophy.
“On our centennial year, where we’re commemorating 100 years as an airline, there’s no better place to launch this aircraft and the official start to FIFA 2026 than right here in Miami,” said American Airlines Vice President J.C. Liscano.
The sports-themed plane is a first for the airline’s fleet.
Thursday’s FIFA fiesta celebrated American Airlines’ role as the official North American supplier for the global soccer event.
“For FIFA specifically, we expect about 1.2 million passengers to fly to different games. We are adding, at our peak, we’re gonna have 2,400 flights between those 16 host cities, so you can imagine how many more seats we’re adding just to get the viewers and the fans to see the teams that they love most,” said Liscano.
As a DJ played tunes through the hangar, attendees said this was just a glimpse of the energy that South Florida will generate when teams take to the field for the international contest.
“Having played in the World Cup, and it’s special inside the stadium, but being around the energy in the city is just as important,” said former Team USA player Tim Howard.
The festivities also featured a wide array of food and drinks, as well as major star power in attendance.
“Not everybody gets tickets, and so I think people almost feel let down, and what we’re excited to tell them is you can still go to a host city, you can go to a city and be a part of a fan fest or be part of the game,” said Howard.
While the vibes through the hangar remained high, fans still looking to secure a ticket to a coveted World Cup game are facing steep price increases.
FIFA recently raised the cost of its highest-tier seats for the future championship game to shy of $11,000, an increase of more than $1,300 since December’s Tournament Draw.
Tickets in other sections have also seen sharp increases, ranging from $1,600 to $1,800.
As for the games at Hard Rock Stadium, fans can expect to pay several hundred dollars, with some resale tickets even surpassing $1,000.
No ticket has seen a decrease since the previous sales.
According to FIFA, the price increase reflects the staggering demand.
Critics argue that the large jump in pricing is excessive.
Despite those concerns, the current ticket sales phase is expected to remain open through the start of the tournament in June.
Fans at the hangar told 7News no matter how people ultimately decide to watch the game, it’ll be an experience to remember.
“When you’re there in the stadium, watching with your friends at home, it’s just such a great opportunity to see what the world brings on such a big stage and here in our backyard, it’s just absolutely phenomenal,” said Miami resident Mike Houston.
While ticket prices remain high, many fans are holding out hope for the remaining tickets FIFA has said they have yet to put on sale.
You can catch all the World Cup action on WSVN Channel 7 when it all begins in June.
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