FIFA unveils new World Cup ticket price, fans remain unimpressed

Fans have been furious since FIFA revealed ticket prices for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Reports suggest that English supporters could be forced to pay close to $8,000 to attend all of their team’s matches up to the final - around five times more than the cost at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

In response, FIFA has now introduced a new $60 ticket option for each World Cup game. However, these tickets will be available only to a small number of “loyal fans,” making up around 10% of the allocation for each participating football association.

UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the move but urged FIFA to go further. He said: “As someone who used to save up for England tickets, I encourage FIFA to do more to make tickets more affordable so that the World Cup doesn’t lose touch with the genuine supporters who make the game so special.”

Despite the announcement, English fans remain unimpressed. FSA chief executive Tom Greatrex said: “A small proportion of an already small allocation being priced reasonably still leaves the vast majority of supporters who would travel to the World Cup unable to afford to do so. Around 450 tickets, from an allocation of approximately 4,500, for England group games is literally making a lottery of supporting your team at the finals.”

He added: “Having all but killed off the vibrancy, atmosphere, and spectacle of the World Cup for travelling supporters, this hollow gesture might buy a few headlines, but it doesn’t address FIFA being complicit in pricing supporters out of the World Cup.”

FIFA now faces another challenge: how to allocate these cheaper tickets fairly. With only around 400 out of 4,500 tickets per match considered “affordable,” many believe the change will have little real impact. Supporters’ associations across Europe are continuing to put pressure on FIFA to address the issue before ticket sales close in January next year.