Fifa announces more affordable World Cup tickets amid fan backlash
Fifa has introduced a “Supporter Entry Tier” for the 2026 World Cup, which will provide tickets starting at £45 following widespread criticism from England and Scotland fans, reports BritPanorama.
This new pricing tier aims to make attending matches more accessible for supporters from the 48 national teams participating in the tournament. These changes come amid a significant demand surge, with Fifa indicating over 20 million ticket requests during the current sales phase.
According to Fifa’s announcement, the Supporter Entry Tier tickets will be priced at USD 60 each for any of the 104 matches, including the final. Decisions regarding the distribution of these tickets will rest with the respective national federations, catering to loyal supporters who have consistently followed their teams.
These changes follow mounting pressure from fan organizations, which demanded an immediate halt to ticket sales after reports surfaced detailing exorbitant prices for the final match, with some seats exceeding £3,000. Football Supporters Europe (FSE) reacted strongly, labeling Fifa’s ticket pricing as “extortionate” and describing it as a “monumental betrayal” of World Cup traditions, with a call for consultations with stakeholders.
Details of ticket pricing show stark contrasts to previous tournaments. For the final at MetLife Stadium, tickets are available across three price bands, beginning at around £3,119 and rising significantly, reflecting a substantial increase compared to the Qatar 2022 World Cup, where the cheapest ticket was priced at £450.
Moreover, it’s emerged that England has been allocated fewer tickets for its opening match than Curacao, which has a smaller population. For the Group L opener in Dallas on June 17, only 4,022 seats will be available to English supporters, a number that parallels the allocation received by Croatia.
With the backdrop of England’s vast fanbase, expected to bring hundreds of thousands to North America from a population of 58.6 million, the ticket distributions raise concerns about accessibility for domestic supporters. Curacao, a relatively small island, has secured 4,307 tickets for its first-ever World Cup game, showcasing the disparity in allocations.
This situation underscores ongoing discussions about fan representation and fairness in the ticketing processes for major global events, highlighting the complexities of balancing commercial interests with the needs of devoted supporters.
As the countdown to the 2026 World Cup continues, the echoes of fan concern remind us of the delicate dance between commercialisation and the spirit of sport, suggesting that in football, as in life, value is often in the eye of the beholder.
