Shock over England’s limited World Cup ticket allocation
England supporters have been left stunned after it emerged that Fifa has allocated fewer tickets for the Three Lions’ World Cup opener than for Curacao, the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament and one with a population smaller than Milton Keynes, reports BritPanorama.
For England’s opening Group L match in Dallas on June 17, fans will be vying for just 4,022 seats, a figure matched only by their opponents, Croatia.
This allocation stands in stark contrast to the hundreds of thousands expected to travel from a country with a population of 58.6 million. In comparison, Curacao, a Dutch Caribbean island with around 156,000 residents, has been granted 4,307 tickets for its first-ever World Cup match against Germany on June 14.
The disparity is evident: should Curacao sell its full allocation, about one in every 36 residents will be present in Houston for the historic occasion, whereas the equivalent for England translates to roughly one supporter per 14,570 people.
Fan anger is palpable, reflecting sentiments that their considerable global support has been overlooked. “This takes the biscuit. You couldn’t make it up,” said Neil Robinson, a 48-year-old facilities manager from Watford. “We’ll take the most fans to the US of any competing team, but a tiddly island has got more tickets than us.”
Chris Howle, a 54-year-old computer programmer from Wandsworth, echoed this frustration, asking, “Why couldn’t they consider the size of a country’s travelling support and give us more tickets?” Curacao will play at Houston’s 68,311-capacity stadium, while England’s opener will occur at the larger AT&T Stadium in Texas, which holds 70,122 spectators. Despite this, Curacao’s ticket allocation remains higher.
Fifa asserts that approximately eight per cent of a stadium’s capacity is designated for each team’s supporters to standardise allocations across the tournament. Nevertheless, England fans expect to fill stadiums wherever the team competes, often relying on resale platforms and hospitality packages to gain access.
Supporters are preparing for significant financial strain, with prices reportedly set to double compared to the previous tournament in Qatar, with some tickets listed at up to £10,000, exacerbating the grievance over the initial ticket allocation.
An insider from the FA indicated that the governing body may approach Fifa to request additional tickets once the initial allocation sells out. The application window for tickets remains open until January 13, 2026. Alongside Croatia, England will face Panama and Ghana in their group.
As the tournament approaches, it serves as a reminder of the often tumultuous relationship between the game’s governing bodies and the supporters who drive its passion. The gap between expectation and reality in ticket allocations could well overshadow the joy of the on-pitch action.
