Supporting Africa at the 2026 World Cup will cost travelling fans £23,000 – Report

Fans of African countries supporting their countries at the 2026 World Cup would spend approximately £23,000 (N41.7m) to see their teams play all the way to the finals on July 19. This was one of the findings from an analysis carried out by the data analytics company AceOdds. The World Cup will be played across Canada, Mexico and the USA.

According to the report, this cost includes flights (with the journey starting in the nation’s capital, continuing through match tickets at all match locations and ending back in the capital), accommodation (in all the cities where matches will take place), tickets to the matches, and meals and beverages (three inexpensive meals and three soft drinks per person per day).

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According to it, Ivory Coast is the most expensive African country to follow at this year’s Mundial, with fans of the West African country expected to spend £25,739 (19.5 million CFA Francs) apiece if their team makes it all the way to the final in New Jersey.

The former African champions, who kick off their 2026 World Cup campaign on Monday, June 15 against Ecuador in Philadelphia, won’t have their fanbase in attendance, though, as they were denied visas into the USA.

Algeria. Image: BBC

Algeria emerged as the second most expensive African country to follow across Canada, Mexico and the USA, with each travelling fan expected to part with £25,266 (4.5 million Algerian Dinar) if they are to see their country all the way to MetLife Stadium. The Desert Foxes begin their quest for World Cup glory on Wednesday, June 17 against defending champions Argentina, at the Kansas City Stadium. Tickets for that game alone cost about £630.

The Democratic Republic of Congo qualified for their first World Cup in 52 years after defeating Jamaica at the Intercontinental Play-offs. But their fans are about to discover the true cost of being at the global showpiece, as each fan will have to spend £24,860 (76.6 million Congolese francs) to support their team all the way to the final.

The Central African country begins its 2026 World Cup campaign on Wednesday, June 17, against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, which, after being knocked out of the last World Cup by African opposition, would be seeking payback.

Speaking of the African country that knocked out Portugal in the last edition, Morocco emerged as the fourth most expensive African country to support at the World Cup, with fans expected to spend £24,450 (302,886 Dirhams). Expect fans of the Atlas Lions to happily spend the money, though, in great expectation that their side will better their outstanding performance at Qatar 2022 and perhaps become the first African side to go all the way.

Cape Verde, the island nation just off the coast of West Africa, will make its debut at the 2026 World Cup, and fans will be thrilled to join the global fiesta. But that thrill is going to set them back £23,791, which is a little above 3 million Cape Verdean escudos. Kicking off their campaign against European champions Spain on Monday, June 15, the Blue Sharks will go on to face Uruguay and Saudi Arabia in encounters that would be gruelling to watch for the paying fans.

Egypt is first in the bottom half of the rankings, and fans of the perennial qualifiers will be expecting their country to go beyond just qualifying to make a strong impact. To back their country, they must be willing to fork out £23,084 (1.6 million Egyptian pounds) to support their team all the way to the 2026 World Cup final. The record seven-time African champions will begin their quest for global dominance when they take on Belgium in Group G on Monday, June 15.

West African powerhouse, Ghana, will be making only their fifth appearance at the global showpiece. After managing a quarter-final appearance in 2010, fans will be expecting their Black Stars to do one better 16 years later. Their country going all the way will, however, set them back £22,834 (340,000 cedis). Ghana will begin their campaign in a must-win encounter with Panama on Thursday, June 18, in Toronto, Canada, before taking on England and Croatia in crunch ties.

Senegal/Credit: The Athletic

After winning the African Cup of Nations in quite dramatic fashion earlier this year, fans of the Teranga Lions of Senegal will be feeling quite confident going into the 2026 World Cup. That confidence would cost £22,572 (16.8 million CFA francs) for fans who wish to back their country all the way to the final whistle. The African champions begin their quest against France just as they did in the 2022 World Cup, which was their first Mundial. Just like then, they will be hoping to beat the 2022 finalists and make it at least to the quarter-finals.

South Africa is the only African country to have hosted a World Cup event. But this time, the Bafana-Bafana are far from home and with the rest of the continent solidly against them, they will need all the support they can get from their travelling fans. Thankfully, their fans have one of the least expensive trips to the final, as this would cost them just £22,528 (roughly 500,000 rands). South Africa kicks off their campaign in the opening match vs hosts, Mexico, on June 11, exactly how it was on June 11 2010 when South Africa was the host.

Tunisia is one of those African countries that are always there but never quite there enough. Having made the joint second-most appearances at the World Cup (7), and only behind Cameroon (8), they have never progressed beyond the group stage and have never played a knockout game. Fans must be believing that the 2026 World Cup would be their time to finally break the proverbial curse. As the least expensive African side to follow, fans will be incurring expenses to the tune of £22,120 (about 87,000 Dinars).

2026 World Cup global cost for travelling fans

On a global average, fans following their country’s national team from their capital nation down to their opening group stage match and all the way to the final would cost an estimated £23,500.

Iraq emerged as the country with the most expensive trip for fans globally, with one fan expected to spend 28,080. Following is Jordan, whose fans will spend approximately 27,000. Argentina, despite geographical proximity, will see its fans spending 25,765.

At the other end, Panama fans are spending the least of all the travelling fans, with a spending budget of about £21,000. Czech Republic is the second least expensive, with around £21,500 and Co-hosts, Mexico, the third with £22,000 spend.

2026 World Cup tickets

The difference between the most and least expensive nations is around £7,000. The gap is almost entirely driven by mobility costs, rather than by buying tickets or accommodation.

Match tickets consume most of the funds, accounting for nearly half of the estimated trip cost. The World Cup Final ticket alone is estimated at around £5,300. That single match would cost more than all three group stage matches combined for the majority of nations. Indeed, for some fans, just getting into the games would cost more than everything else put together.

The second biggest expense is accommodation, consuming around 23 per cent of total expenses. Flights come next, accounting for around 19 per cent of the total cost, while food and drinks would represent just 8% – the smallest of the four categories.