More expensive than ever: Ticket prices for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics revealed
A ticket to the men's basketball final will reach $3,350, a ticket to the opening ceremony will reach $5,519, and prices for gymnastics, athletics, and swimming are also sky-high.
The Los Angeles 2028 Olympics are still far off, but those planning to attend the major events can already start saving. According to data published this evening (Friday) in The Athletic, ticket prices for the events are expected to be the highest in Olympic history, with many cases being more than double the prices charged at the Paris 2024 Games.
The LA28 organizing committee has not released a full price catalog, but fans selected for pre-sales gathered the data, and a significant portion of it was independently verified by the American media outlet. The price range varies from $28 for the cheapest seats at less popular events to $5,519 for a seat in the lower tier at the opening ceremony.
The most expensive sporting event will be the men's basketball tournament final. The two best seating categories are reserved for hospitality packages, while a category C ticket, in the lower tier courtside or in the corner, will cost $3,350. In the group stage of the men's tournament, however, it will be possible to find tickets starting from $28, while the price for expensive categories will reach $448.
Gymnastics and athletics are also at the top. The best tickets not included in hospitality packages for the women's gymnastics finals and the evening athletics sessions will cost $2,461. At the gymnastics final, for example, even a seat on the second level may cost $1,973, while tickets in the upper stands will range from $104 to $732.
In other popular sports, prices are also particularly high: a ticket to the swimming final may reach $1,860, the baseball final $1,718, the soccer final $1,305, and the boxing final $1,215. For the women's basketball tournament final, the highest recorded price stands at $1,118.
Despite the unusual numbers, the organizers emphasize that a large portion of the tickets will be more accessible. One million out of approximately 10.5 million tickets are intended to be sold for $28, and almost half of all tickets will cost less than $200. However, a significant portion of the cheap tickets has already been snapped up: half of the $28 tickets were sold in a pre-sale to local residents in April.
Another issue for fans is the service fee. All published prices already include taxes and a 24 percent fee, which has sparked anger among buyers. LA28 claimed that this rate is consistent with the standard accepted in the live event ticketing industry in the United States.
As of now, 12 million people have already registered for ticket purchase lotteries, with four million tickets already sold during the first sales phase in April. If these prices indeed reflect the final picture, Los Angeles 2028 will not only be one of the biggest and busiest Olympics ever — but also the most expensive for fans who want to see it up close, just like the 2026 World Cup.
