The Price of Being a Sports Fan in Australia
Aussie sports fans must part with a minimum of $8,000 to attend the country’s biggest events over the next 12 months
- Sports fans could afford to pay two months of rent in Sydney and have change left over for the cost of visiting the biggest events over the course of the next year.
- Even without paying for transport, the 2026 World Cup is the most expensive event with a minimum cost of $2,294.69.
- Attending each of the biggest sporting events in the next 12 months could cost fans over $18,000.
Sports fans in Australia should expect for their wallets to be bent out of shape over the course of the next 12 months should they want to attend each of the biggest events for the country.
The next year promises to be a bumper one for Aussie sport, with regular favourites such as the AFL and NRL Grand Finals, Australian Open and F1 joined by the Boxing Day Ashes Test, Rugby League World Cup and the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada.
But those who want to visit each event will need to raid their piggy banks to afford even the cheapest tickets on offer, with in-depth research from data experts at Joe Fortune revealing the true cost of being an Australian sports fan.
The research recorded the cheapest and most expensive ticket prices, along with the price of a beer, pie (or nearest equivalent), a replica jersey and the cheapest accommodation within two miles of the venue on the night of the event, at the AFL and NRL Grand Finals, the men’s singles final of the Australian Open, race day of the Australian Grand Prix, the first day of the Boxing Day Ashes Test and Australia’s opening games at the World Cup and Rugby League World Cup.
But the bad news for the budget-conscious is that even when taking the cheapest ticket available on each of those events, you would still be lumbered with a total bill of $7,984.13. For context, that is over $1,000 more than the average cost of two month’s rent in Sydney ($6,898.67).
For those not constrained by finances, things soon start to add up. Taking the most expensive ticket on offer at each event, alongside the extras, will see a sports fan part with $18,275.13
| EVENT | CHEAPEST TICKET | MOST EXPENSIVE TICKET | BEER | PIE/BURGER | OFFICIAL MERCHANDISE | ONE-NIGHT ACCOMMODATION | TOTAL (CHEAPER) | TOTAL (MOST EXPENSIVE) |
| AFL Grand Final | $195 | $515 | $12 | $6.20 | $129.99 | $165 | $508.19 | $828.19 |
| Australian F1 | $210 | $835 | $13.50 | $10 | $129 | $825 | $1,187.50 | $1812.5 |
| Boxing Day Test | $42 | $249 | $12 | $6.20 | $129.95 | $339 | $529.15 | $736.15 |
| NRL Grand Final | $59 | $409 | $11.50 | $5 | $169.95 | $720 | $965.45 | $1315.45 |
| Australian Open | $1,899 | $10,000 | $14.50 | $12 | $139 | $126 | $2,191 | $10,292 |
| Rugby League World Cup opening match | $19 | $119 | $11.70 | $9 | $99.95 | $169 | $308.65 | $408.65 |
| Australia’s opening World Cup game | $90 | $678 | $12.89 | $14.80 | $130 | $2,047 | $2,294.69 | $2,882.69 |
| TOTAL | $7,984.13 | 18,275.13 |
2026 World Cup cost out of this world
The 2026 World Cup is set to be the most expensive sporting event in a generation for fans across the globe, including Aussies.
Even after FIFA’s partial climbdown on ticket prices, additional costs will mean that those travelling to Vancouver for the Socceroos opening game will be faced with a minimum cost of $2,294.69, and that’s only for the lucky few who manage to bag a $90 ticket.
With the most expensive tickets going all the way up to $678, that cost could soon hit $2,882.69. The biggest outlay Roos fans will face, though, is the accommodation, with the cheapest one-night stay within two miles of BC Place – the host stadium – charging $2,047.
Rugby League World Cup is the most budget-friendly
At the other end of the spectrum, the more budget conscious sports fan would be advised to visit the opening game of the Rugby League World Cup instead.
While the minimum cost of visiting the match against New Zealand is a not-insignificant $308.65, with tickets starting from $19 it represents value on a whole new scale when compared to its football counterpart.
With tickets rising as high as $119, it is worth noting that the maximum total cost of $408.65 is over seven times cheaper than that of the football World Cup.
Methodology
- All prices and units of currency are in Australian dollars.
- The ticket prices collected for each event were taken from the most up-to-date prices available. When a ticket price for the next event was unavailable, the ticket prices used were from the most recent event.
- Ticket prices were taken from general admission prices, with hospitality disregarded. Australian Open ticket prices were recorded taking dynamic pricing into account.
- Food and drink prices were taken from the venues holding each of the events.
- Official merchandise is the price of an official jersey, guernsey or t-shirt from a club within the AFL, NRL, team in F1 or the Australian national team in each respective sport. For the Australian Open, an official tournament t-shirt was used.
- The cheapest accommodation price was taken from Booking.com, within two miles of the venue and filtering three and four-star venues with reviews of seven out of 10 and higher.
Sources
- Average Sydney rent: Forbes
- MCG food and drink prices: Daily Mail
- AFL guernseys: The AFL Store
- 2025 AFL Grand Final tickets: 9news
- All accommodation prices: Booking.com
- All ticket prices: Sourced through official channel, ticketek or Ticketmaster
- World Cup ticket price: FIFA
- World Cup food and drink prices: The Sun + official stadium website
- Australia national shirt: Football Shop Australia
- All other food and drink prices: Sourced from official stadiums or suppliers such asMerivale
- NRL jersey prices: NRL Shop
- Australia cricket jersey: Cricket Australia
- F1 jersey: Official F1 shop