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≡ TICKETS ON SALE I ≡
In simplest terms, the $7.145 billion budget for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games organizing committee is really easy to understand. The organizers will receive about $1.4 billion from the International Olympic Committee, and are looking for $2.5 billion from domestic sponsorships, another $2.5 billion from tickets and hospitality, about $350 million in licensing and $400 million from other items such as hotel reimbursements, requested equipment and services and so on. That’s it.
So far, domestic sponsorship commitments are said to be at $2 billion, with two years to go. Good. Now, ticket sales have started with the “pre-sale” to people living in the Southern California area, with sales to all others starting on 9 April.
The opening of the sales window to selected, registered users has generated lots of interest and the usual opening glitches, but many people have reported that (1) they can pick tickets and (2) LA28 seems able to take their money.
There are a lot of Olympic tickets to sell, perhaps 12 million, which means the “average ticket” would need to be sold for $208.33 each to reach $2.5 billion. That’s why they are so expensive.
Readers have sent in messages with some details of some sports and some of the prices are breathtakingly high. For the 16 July afternoon session of track & field at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, there are nine price categories (seating zone maps are as shown on the LA28 sales sites):
● A: $2,460.76
● B: $2,046.50
● C: $1,364.33
● D: $1,116.27
● E: $744.18
● F: $620.15
● G: $403.10
● H: $186.05
● I: $104.19
For the swimming at SoFi Stadium, prices for the opening session of qualifying races on 22 July includes eight price categories:
● A: $1,116.27
● B: $806.20
● C: $558.14
● D: $372.09
● E: $279.07
● F: $161.24
● G: $93.02
● H: $49.61
The 30 July finals session, of course, is more expensive:
● A: $1,860.45
● B: $1,395,34
● C: $1,116.27
● D: $744.18
● E: $558.14
● F: $310.08
● G: $186.05
● H: $104.19
Wrestling, at the Los Angeles Convention Center, costs less. For the qualifying session on 24 July which includes quarterfinals of some classes:
● A: $396.90
● B: $167.44
● C: $86.82
● D: $28.00
The 30 July session with a mix of qualifying, bronze and gold-medal matches costs more:
● A: $682.17
● B: $310.08
● C: $155.04
● D: $74.42
What about the big team sports? For basketball at the Intuit Dome in Inglewood, a preliminary session with two women’s game (teams unknown) costs:
● C: $267.50
● D: $184.50
● E: $152.69
● F: $76.34
● G: $50.90
● H: $28.00
Prices for the women’s bronze-medal match on 28 July are higher:
● A: not on sale yet
● B: not on sale yet
● C: $731.64
● D: $489.88
● E: $407.17
● F: $203.58
● G: $133.61
● H: $106.88
The prices for the men’s bronze-medal match on 29 July are a lot higher:
● A: not on sale yet
● B: not on sale yet
● C: $1,819.53
● D: $1,215.15
● E: $1,011.56
● F: $508.96
● G: $343.55
● H: $106.88
As for football at the Rose Bowl, a women’s quarterfinal listed for 21 July is shown as:
● A: $380.62
● B: $275.17
● C: $188.36
● D: $138.75
● E: $101.54
● F: $28.00
The men’s semi on 24 July and women’s semi on 25 July are both priced thus:
● A: $839.51
● B: $610.09
● C: $417.81
● D: $306.19
● E: $188.36
● F: $28.00
The women’s gold-medal game on 29 July:
● A: $1,304.66
● B: $944.94
● C: $647.30
● D: $473.63
● E: $281.40
● F: $106.50
These prices include, as per California law, all fees and taxes.
If you are looking for a document with an overview of sessions and prices, there isn’t one. LA28 confirmed that no overall ticket catalog is available, for the first time in memory, perhaps ever. The catalog for the initial Paris 2024 sale in 2022 is available here.
Observed: LA28 is getting its ticket process started much earlier than other organizing committees, which helps to generate a lot of revenue earlier in the process that will earn some interest and help to fund operations.
In terms of prices:
● An LA28 announcement reported on 15 January 2026 noted that LA28 said that one million tickets to be available at $28 and stated that there will be “a third of tickets priced under $100.”
● In its report to the International Olympic Committee in Milan on 3 February, our report noted that LA28 Chair Casey Wasserman “reiterated that one million tickets will be available for $28 and two-thirds of all tickets will be priced under $200.”
An LA28 statement to the Los Angeles Times’ Jim Rainey on Friday indicated that half of all tickets would be at $200 or less, so the pricing spread may have changed somewhat.
Are prices high? Yes, they are. Very high for many of the finals and semifinals in the more popular sports. LA28 is a once-in-a-lifetime company and will go out of business permanently sometime in 2029 or early 2030, never to rise again. It has no need to generate everlasting future loyalty among its customers.
It does have an absolute responsibility and a promise to its financial guarantors – the City of Los Angeles and State of California – not to have a deficit and as it is not receiving government funding for its operations, it has to change a lot for sponsorships and for tickets.
Too much? That’s in the eye of the beholder. What is true is that major events like the NFL Super Bowl and now the FIFA World Cup are pricing tickets not simply for their revenue requirements, but to take for themselves money that would be made on the secondary, resale market. If a ticket priced at $100 is actually worth $500 on the open market, sellers are now pricing tickets close to the expected resale value to try and capture that money for themselves.
That’s not a defense of the pricing, it’s an explanation. What is also true is that for pricing at these levels, the organizing committee will be expected to offer a seamless and satisfying fan experience. And the tickets do not come with parking, or public transport and do not include food, drinks or souvenirs. Those are all extra.
For comparison, a visit to Disneyland today costs from $104 to $224 to visit the park. It’s not cheap either.
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