Bravo for $2 hot dogs. Boo for $19 beers. The cost of food and drink at the Club World Cup

New York Times

13 hours ago

This summer's FIFA Club World Cup is a valuable indicator for what we might expect at next year's World Cup in the U.S..
For players, it is a wake-up call as to the weather conditions they might face.
For FIFA, a forecast for interest, including not just attendance, but also atmosphere.
For fans, it has revealed one thing that has surprised many: the price of food and drink at stadiums.
To try and establish the truth among much online commentary, The Athletic felt it was our duty to 'investigate' the food and drink on offer at the following Club World Cup venues:
Here's what we found…
Audi Field, the home of MLS side D.C. United and the NWSL's Washington Spirit, had the costliest menu item we found in our sample. On their specialised 'The Corner Kick' menu the 'Souvenir chicken tender bowl' is priced at $25.99 (£18.93), not including the 10 per cent District of Columbia tax, which brings the total to $28.59 (£20.82).
Also on the menu is Marra Forni pizza priced at $20.50 (£14.93), standard chicken tenders and fries for $15.49 (£11.28), and a portion of fries for $7.49 (£5.45).
Elsewhere the prices are generally reasonable. The all-beef cheeseburger basket at the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles County is $21.99 (£16.02), excluding California sales tax, which is the most expensive item on the menu. Their hot dog is $7.99 (£5.81).
The prices are similar at Charlotte's Bank of America Stadium, which, like Audi Field and the Rose Bowl, is not a host stadium for next summer's World Cup.
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Bank of America Stadium has four kinds of hot dogs available, plus Bojangles, a fast-food chain specialising in fried chicken founded in North Carolina. There, a double cheeseburger will set you back $12.49 (£9.09), with the chicken supremes (chicken strips) priced at $8.49 (£6.19).
However, the Mercedes-Benz Stadium outshines the competition on both sides of the pond in this aspect. The home of the Atlanta Falcons (NFL) and Atlanta United (MLS) is known for its incredibly well-priced food selection, with a classic hot dog available for just $2 (£1.45).
This is $20 worth of food at MBS! pic.twitter.com/cgVFEIgpO4
— Mercedes-Benz Stadium (@MBStadium) August 18, 2023
They have kept prices at the Club World Cup the same as for other events at the stadium.
'For Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the only non-negotiable for any promoter including FIFA is that our concession pricing stays as it is,' says Tim Zulawski, President of AMB Sports & Entertainment, the stadium's ownership group.
'So we have literally hundreds of combinations for a family of four so they can eat for under $30. So that's a couple beers, french fries, hot dogs, hamburger, a refillable Coca-Cola — what we call fanfare items.'
Given their commitment to low prices, fans attending the World Cup might wish their team gets one of the eight games the 75,000-seater spaceship-like stadium is scheduled to host next summer.
While food prices are relatively comparable to those at a Premier League stadium, particularly in London, the drinks are on a completely different level entirely.
At the Rose Bowl, a 24oz (710ml) domestic beer (typically an American brand like Coors or Budweiser) costs $16.49 (£12), while their 'premium' variants will set you back $18.49 (£13.46), not including California's six per cent general sales tax on purchases of alcoholic beverages.
The stadiums in our sample have separate prices for domestic and imported beers, which are typically around $1-$2 more expensive than American brands. Prices range from $14.59 (£10.62) for beer and wine up to $19.49 (£14.19) at the Rose Bowl for a 24oz hard seltzer, an alcoholic carbonated water drink with fruit flavourings.
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The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta offers a more reasonable large domestic beer priced at $9 (£6.55), not bad even by British standards.
According to a study by GiveMeSport, the most expensive pint (568ml; 20oz) in the Premier League last season was £7.30 ($10) at West Ham's London Stadium, while the cheapest was at Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, where you can buy one for just £3 ($4.12).
Owing to the World Cup's long-term sponsorship relationship with Budweiser, the choice may be more limited next summer.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is also a remarkably well-priced stadium for non-alcoholic beverages. Refillable soda is just $2, while bottled water is priced at $3.
At MetLife Stadium, bottled water costs $5, which is broadly in line with the rest of our sample, with bottled water costing between $4 and $6. However, many stadiums have free water fountains scattered around the concourse.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is truly unique. Owner Arthur Blank committed to 'fan-first' pricing, with the most popular items, such as hot dogs, burgers, and soda available at affordable prices.
Prices at the Rose Bowl and Bank of America Stadium are more reflective of what you may expect to pay at stadiums such as the Los Angeles' SoFi Stadium next year.
Miami's Hard Rock Stadium, which will host seven matches at the World Cup, was one of a handful of stadiums where you could buy a burger or a hot dog for under $10 during the 2024-25 NFL season. However, at the Club World Cup one of our reporters spent $28 (£20.40) on a banana, bag of chips (crisps), bottle of water and a Snickers.
A FIFA Spokesperson confirmed that the host venues set the food and beverage prices, with varying revenue splits.
'Prices are set by the stadium concessionaires in each of the venues for the FIFA Club World Cup, with a focus on providing unique items specific to each market. Revenue split varies per venue, but the terms of those agreements are proprietary. Looking ahead to 2026, pricing will also be set by the concessionaires at each venue, again with the focus on providing items and food for guests that showcase the Host City's culture, vibe, and cuisine.'
Alcohol.
It was restricted to fan zones at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar after the Muslim nation agreed to honour FIFA's partnership with Budweiser as part of its bid, but withdrew from the agreement two days before the tournament began, banning alcohol from being on sale at the stadiums.
In the United States, drinking alcohol in the stands is an accepted part of the match-going experience, which has been maintained for supporters at the Club World Cup and will likely be in place next summer — something UK football fans have not been able to do since drinking in stadium areas in view of the pitch was banned in 1985.