Different Prices for the 2026 World Cup

💰 Talking about Money

In this text, we see a pattern for describing prices.

1. High vs. Low

• Cheap $\rightarrow$ Low price (Example: food and drinks to be cheap)
• Expensive $\rightarrow$ High price (Example: tickets... very expensive)

2. Useful Phrases If you want to say something costs too much, use:

"cost too much money"

3. The 'Make' Pattern We use make when talking about earning money:

• Make money $\rightarrow$ Earn profit
• Make millions $\rightarrow$ Earn a lot of money

Quick Comparison: Cheap $\leftrightarrow$ Expensive

The Art of the Contrast: Moving Beyond "But"

At the A2 level, you likely use the word "but" to show a difference. To reach B2, you need to signal contrast more sophisticatedly. This text provides a perfect map for this transition.

⚡ The Power Shift

Look at how the text connects two opposing ideas:

• A2 Style: Arthur Blank wants low prices, but FIFA wants high prices.
• B2 Style: Arthur Blank has promised to keep prices low. In contrast, FIFA has used a market-driven pricing model.

Why this works: "In contrast" doesn't just join two sentences; it tells the reader: "Pay attention, I am now comparing two completely different philosophies."

🛠️ Expanding Your Toolkit

Beyond "but," the article uses "While" to create a complex sentence. This is a hallmark of B2 fluency.

"While some tickets have reached extreme prices... a study suggests that FIFA could earn over $30 million."

The B2 Logic: By starting with "While," you acknowledge one fact (high prices) before delivering the main point (high profits). It creates a balance in your writing that sounds professional and academic.

🎯 Precision Vocabulary for the "Business World"

To bridge the gap to B2, stop using generic words like "get" or "make." Use these specific verbs found in the text:

Instead of...	Use this B2 Verb	Context from Text
Make money	Generate	"...to generate more money."
Say/Claim	Assert	"...asserting that they simply reflect demand."
Get the most	Maximize	"...to maximize its profits."

Pro Tip: Using Maximize instead of Get the most instantly signals to an examiner that you have moved from basic communication to strategic language use.

◈ The Architecture of 'Nominalization' and 'Abstract Density' ◈

To transition from B2 to C2, a student must move beyond describing actions and begin conceptualizing processes. This text is a goldmine for studying Nominalization—the linguistic process of turning verbs and adjectives into nouns to create a detached, objective, and highly authoritative academic tone.

⧉ The Shift in Cognitive Weight

Contrast these two ways of delivering the same information:

• B2 (Action-Oriented): FIFA is pricing tickets based on what the market wants, and this has made fans criticize them.
• C2 (Concept-Oriented): "This pricing structure has elicited criticism from supporters..."

In the C2 version, the 'action' (criticizing) is transformed into a 'concept' (criticism). This allows the writer to treat the reaction as a measurable entity rather than a simple event. This is the hallmark of scholarly and professional discourse.

⚡ Precision through High-Value Collocations

Note the specific pairing of abstract nouns and verbs in the text. C2 mastery is not about 'big words,' but about lexical precision:

1. "Institutionalization of a platform" $\rightarrow$ Moving beyond 'starting' or 'creating'; it implies the establishment of a formal, systemic rule.
2. "Facilitated substantial revenue generation" $\rightarrow$ Instead of 'made a lot of money,' we see the process (generation) being enabled (facilitated).
3. "Speculative values" $\rightarrow$ A precise economic term where 'speculative' modifies the 'value' to indicate risk and guesswork.

⚙️ Syntactic Sophistication: The 'Heavy' Subject

B2 learners often use simple Subject-Verb-Object structures. C2 writers use complex noun phrases as subjects to pack more information into a single clause:

"The financial framework of the tournament is defined by a significant disparity in stakeholder objectives."

Breakdown:

• The financial framework of the tournament (Complex Subject $\rightarrow$ sets the scope)
• is defined by (Passive voice $\rightarrow$ removes the need for a specific actor)
• a significant disparity in stakeholder objectives (Abstract Complement $\rightarrow$ summarizes the conflict)

The Takeaway: To reach C2, stop telling a story of who did what and start presenting a landscape of what exists and how it functions.