FIFA enters ticket resale market for 2026 World Cup
FIFA has made an unprecedented move into the ticket resale market for the 2026 World Cup, claiming a 30 per cent share of every secondary transaction, reports BritPanorama.
The football governing body will extract 15 per cent from both purchasers and vendors each time a ticket changes hands, with some seats being traded multiple times online. This marks the first occasion the Geneva-based organisation has taken a cut from resales, a decision that threatens to exclude tens of thousands of England supporters hoping to follow the national team across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Tickets are already commanding prices exceeding £1,000 on official platforms, with no cheaper options available ahead of Friday’s draw in Washington DC. One reseller is advertising a seat at next July’s final at Jersey’s MetLife Stadium for a staggering £32,967.
The England Supporters Travel Club, which boasts 27,000 members, will receive a mere eight per cent allocation of tickets at World Cup matches. This could translate to as few as 3,600 seats if Thomas Tuchel’s squad plays in Toronto, though numbers rise to 6,400 in Dallas or 6,600 in New York. Those fortunate enough to secure official allocations will pay between £85 and £125 for group stage fixtures.
Fixed-price tickets will eventually become available online from December 11, though FIFA has not yet revealed the full pricing structure. However, the vast majority of supporters appear destined to rely on secondary market platforms, where prices have already spiralled beyond reach. Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also discover their fate at Friday’s draw.
England supporters have reacted with fury, comparing FIFA to ticket touts. Richard Wilson, a 64-year-old Border Force case worker from Sunbury-on-Thames, expressed his discontent: “It’s a total disgrace. But no one is surprised that FIFA’s fatcats are at it again – they’re behaving like touts. There’s no way any ordinary fan I know could afford to pay that much to watch England.”
Keith Brown, a 46-year-old Millwall supporter, shared similar frustrations: “I was intending to go to New York and try and see one or two games but I can’t afford a second mortgage!” Bharat Patel, a 34-year-old panel beater from Ilford earning £350 weekly, described the situation as exploitative: “At every World Cup they seem to make it more difficult for supporters like me to see my country. If it is £1,000 that’s three weeks’ money for 90 minutes of footie. It is a rip-off.”
FIFA officials have defended their approach, stating that the pricing model reflects standard practice for major entertainment and sporting events in the host nations. A spokesman stated: “The pricing model adopted for FIFA World Cup 26 reflects the existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within our hosts on a daily basis, soccer included.” The organisation claims US legislation permits tickets to be resold at any price, insisting that the 15 per cent levy from each party is designed to discourage multiple resales.
Thomas Concannon, of the Football Supporters’ Association, warned fans face paying more than double what they spent at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. Furthermore, a football source suggested England supporters unable to obtain official tickets will effectively be paying kickbacks to FIFA through inflated secondary market prices. FIFA has, however, backed away from using dynamic pricing for all 2026 World Cup tickets amid concerns about the cost of attending the tournament in North America.
The escalating ticket prices serve as a stark reminder of the growing divide between the game’s governing bodies and its grassroots supporters, reflecting an ongoing struggle over access and affordability in one of the world’s most watched sporting events.
