2 min readJul 8, 2026 12:31 PM IST Following the elimination of hosts USA and Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal from the FIFA World Cup 2026, the ticket market for the rest of the knockout stages have undergone a significant shift this week. Portugal’s 1-0 defeat to reigning European champions Spain brought an end to Ronaldo’s World Cup dream. The result effectively coincided with a sharp fall in ticket prices. With one of football’s biggest superstars no longer in the competition, matches that would likely have commanded far higher prices had Portugal reached the quarter-finals are now seeing a noticeable decline in demand. ALSO READ | FIFA World Cup 2026 Quarterfinals Schedule: Qualified teams, match dates Co-hosts United States also crashed out before the quarter-finals, suffering a 4-1 defeat to Belgium in Seattle on Monday. Had Portugal overcome Spain and the USA beaten Belgium, a potential quarter-final meeting between the two would likely have drawn significantly greater fan interest, driving ticket demand and prices even higher. According to a report by ticket search engine SeatPick, the average get-in …