World Cup Concession Prices Sting Fans, Though Atlanta Stands Out as Cheap
Fans at the World Cup are facing another budget shock after expensive tickets, flights and hotels: food and beer inside stadiums. A beer can cost nearly $20, about four to five times what it would in European stadiums, while special items include a tater tots tray with caviar for $75 in Miami and a five-pound empanada for $40. In Guadalajara, a carne asada taco costs $8, and in Los Angeles a “Cheezburger Twinkie” sells for $22.
Some prices have gone viral, including $34 lobster sandwiches in Kansas City and a Canadian $40 brisket sandwich combo, sparking anger online. Not all fans were outraged, though, with one German supporter in Vancouver saying the prices were “okay, more or less, for a World Cup.” FIFA sets detailed tournament rules, but concession pricing varies by venue and vendors must follow site-specific requirements.
The menu items often sound more extravagant than they are. Miami’s “Fancy AF Tots” are actually three fried potato cakes topped with caviar, crème fraîche and chives, while a plain caviar portion costs $70. The Southern California “Cheezburger Twinkie” is a burger topped with a bacon-wrapped jalapeño stuffed with brisket and cream cheese. Vancouver has local specialties such as short rib poutine and a maple bacon smoky sausage, and Miami also offers Cuban-style pork sandwiches and the large “Empanada Mundial.” Sodexo Live supplies food and drinks in both Vancouver and Miami, and its vice president of operations at the Miami stadium, Zach Williams, said, “We want it to feel like Miami.”
By contrast, Atlanta’s stadium is keeping long-promised low prices, according to Falcons owner and stadium operator Arthur Blank. There, a pizza slice costs $3, a 900 ml soft drink $4, a cheeseburger $5, chicken tenders with fries $6 and beer $8. Jonathan Arango, 33, from Greenville, South Carolina, said his family’s food bill for three tacos, a pizza slice, two waters and a Coke came to about $50, adding that it was “really cheap” compared with other events after paying so much for tickets.
