Philly ranked 8th of 11 US World Cup host cities by fan experience

Philadelphia comes in the bottom half of World Cup host cities by fan experience in a new ranking from ticket aggregator SeatPick.

The city received a fan experience score of 6.44 out of 10, good enough for eighth place out of the 11 U.S. cities hosting World Cup matches.

Philadelphia’s highest scoring metric was hotel price, which averages $297 per night throughout the tournament.

High concession prices at Lincoln Financial Field, temporarily renamed Philadelphia Stadium to comply with FIFA branding rules, hurt the city’s ranking.

Bottled water is $6.50 at The Linc, while a 16-ounce “tallboy” beer will run you back over $18 for World Cup matches, according to previous Delaware Online/The News Journal reporting. That’s a significant jump from the $11.24 price at Eagles games in 2025, the figure SeatPick used in its ranking.

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Philadelphia’s relatively high rate of violent crime also contributed to its low ranking in fan experience. The city trails only Houston with 909 incidents of violent crime committed per 100,000 residents, according to SeatPick.

Summer heat and humidity also detract from the fan experience in Philadelphia, SeatPick said, although the problem isn’t unique among the 11 host cities.

The rating did not, however, take into account public transportation prices, an area where Philadelphia has garnered praise. Train fares to and from World Cup games in New York and Boston were hiked by local authorities, while Philadelphia has maintained affordable pricing schemes for SEPTA trains to the stadium.

As for the rest of the ranking, Boston’s Gillette Stadium topped the list, while the last-place stadium was SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Boston’s fan experience score is 8.08, while LA’s is 5.82.

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Despite the lower rankings, there has been little to no negative online discourse about Philadelphia’s performance as a host. Instead, the East Coast stadium drawing by far the most scrutiny from fans and players alike is MetLife Stadium (temporarily New York/New Jersey Stadium), which is hosting the World Cup Final on July 19.

SeatPick faults MetLife for its high concession prices – largely mirroring those in Philadelphia – and the huge cost of booking a hotel room in the New York metro area, which is double that of Philadelphia.

MetLife ranks ninth on the list, slotting in right below Philadelphia.

Additionally, the playing surface at MetLife, a temporary grass field installed in lieu of the stadium’s usual turf, has been derided by World Cup teams. France manager Didier Deschamps and Brazil star Vinícius Júnior have said it was tough on players’ bodies and inhibited them from playing at their desired pace.

This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Philly ranks low for World Cup fan experience