LA28 Touts 4 Million Tickets Sold as Olympic Pricing Backlash Carries Into Second Drop

LA28 says it sold more than 4 million tickets during its first Olympic ticketing window, a major early benchmark more than two years before the 2028 Summer Games arrive in Los Angeles. But the announcement comes after weeks of anger from fans who say the first sales period exposed the limits of LA28’s “affordable” ticketing pitch.

LA28 announced Thursday that registration is now open for its second ticket draw, with sales scheduled to begin in August. The organizing committee said Drop 2 will include “refreshed inventory across all Olympic sports at a range of price points,” and that fans who registered for the first drop but were not selected — or who did not purchase their full ticket allowance — will automatically be entered.

“The response to our initial on-sale was nothing short of historic. Fans from near and far have spoken: the world wants to be part of the LA28 Games,” LA28 CEO Reynold Hoover said in the announcement. “The success of Drop 1 is about more than momentum — it reflects LA28’s commitment to delivering a fiscally responsible Games that create a lasting legacy for Los Angeles and its communities.”

LA28 said roughly half a million $28 tickets went to locals during the presale for Los Angeles and Oklahoma City-area residents, while 95% of all tickets under $100 were sold during that locals window. Tickets were purchased across 85 countries and all 50 states and U.S. territories, with artistic gymnastics seeing the fastest sell-through and new Olympic sports including flag football, lacrosse, softball and squash selling through all available Drop 1 inventory.

That demand, however, has been accompanied by substantial criticism from fans who entered the process expecting meaningful access to affordable seats, only to find limited inventory, high prices and a mandatory 24% service fee.

The backlash began during the locals presale earlier this month, when some Angelenos said the sales process bore little resemblance to the affordable-access messaging that had preceded it. The Times reported that coveted events such as diving and gymnastics were unavailable to some buyers, while prices for remaining events included swimming tickets at $1,230 apiece and decathlon finals tickets at $1,600.

“They told us that prices were going to start at $28 and that they were going to stagger the most coveted tickets so everyone had a fair shot,” ticket buyer Kelly Burson told The Times. “Either that was total incompetence or a total lie.”

Burson called the 24% service charge “highway robbery,” adding: “The system seemed so arbitrary and f***ed up.”

Other buyers described similar frustration. Charles Culbert, a West Hollywood realtor, told The Times that by the time he entered the system, gymnastics and surfing were not even options and the cheapest closing ceremony tickets he saw were $5,000. “What’s the point of winning the lottery if it’s all picked over after one or two days?” he said.

LA28 officials have defended the strategy as necessary to fund the privately financed Games. LAist reported that Hoover said the average ticket price is under $200, calling that “accessible,” while noting that additional ticket drops are still to come.

“These are the biggest games in Olympic history,” Hoover said. “And so in order for us to be able to deliver a fiscally responsible, as well as a safe and secure Games, our ticket prices start at $28 and offer a range of pricing for everybody.”

But Hoover also left open the possibility that prices could change later. Asked by LAist whether LA28 would use dynamic pricing, he said: “We’re not using dynamic pricing in this round of ticket drops. We may adjust it in the future.”

The IOC has also defended the pricing structure. USA Today reported that IOC communications director Mark Adams said nearly half of tickets are less than $200, more than 75% of tickets including finals will be under $400, and roughly 5% will cost more than $1,000.

LA28 has said ticketing and hospitality are expected to generate about $2.5 billion toward the Games’ projected $7.1 billion budget. Organizers have repeatedly framed the pricing as part of a broader effort to avoid leaving taxpayers with the bill.

For many prospective buyers, that fiscal argument has not softened the sense that locals are being asked to absorb the disruption of hosting the Olympics while being priced out of attending marquee events. The Guardian reported that Inglewood native Yolanda Davidson told CBS LA: “We shouldn’t just have to bear all of the burden of the Olympics, we should be able to participate.”

Registration for LA28’s second ticket draw is open through July 22. Selected fans will receive assigned purchasing time slots for the August sales period. Buyers remain limited to 12 total Olympic event tickets, with up to 12 additional soccer tickets available outside that general cap. Ceremony tickets are capped at four per purchaser and count toward the 12-ticket Olympic maximum.

For LA28, the first ticket drop offered evidence of enormous global demand. For frustrated fans, it also raised the central question that will follow every future drop: whether the next phase will deliver more affordable access, or simply another round of sticker shock.