Fans accuse FIFA of “mass betrayal” after latest price hike world cup Distribution of tickets started from Thursday.
The governing body allocates 8% of the tickets to national associations for games involving their team in order to sell to the most loyal fans.
And a list published by the German Soccer Federation showed that prices for different group stage games ranged from $180 to $700. The lowest price for the finals was $4,185, and the highest price was $8,680.
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Group stage prices are a far cry from FIFA’s claim of tickets being available for $60. When bidding for the tournament seven years ago, United States soccer officials aimed to offer hundreds of thousands of $21 seats at the opening round of games.
Fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described the current prices as “extortionate”.
It said that, based on information available so far, fans are required to pay €6,900 ($8,111) to attend each match from the first game to the final through the Participating Member Association (PMA) allocation, which is made available to fans attending the most matches, with tickets at fixed prices rather than dynamic prices. According to the FSE, this was five times more than the amount paid by fans at the previous final in Qatar.
“This is a gross betrayal of World Cup tradition, ignoring the supporters’ contribution to this spectacle,” it said in a statement.
The FSE reported that rather than adopting a standard price across all group matches, pricing has been calculated based on “vague criteria such as relying on the perceived attractiveness of the fixture”.
The English Football Association shared pricing information with the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC) on Thursday evening, which revealed that if a fan purchased a ticket for each game up to the final it would cost $7,020 (£5,228).
The pricing policy was described as “ridiculous” by the Football Supporters’ Association’s England Fans’ Embassy.
In a post on X, the England Fans Embassy said: “These prices are a slap in the face to supporters who support their team outside of the major tournaments held every four years.
“Calling Category 3 tickets, the cheapest available to ESTC members, ‘Supporter Value Category 3’, which costs $7,020, is ridiculous if you want to follow England from start to finish.”
England fans’ group Free Lions posted on Twitter saying it supported the FSE’s statement, adding that these were “shocking prices, above and beyond the already high costs we suspected.”
“This cannot be allowed to happen. People watching matches around the world deserve to be protected from these fraudulent prices,” the group’s statement said.
FIFA said in September that tickets released through its website would initially range in price from $60 for group stage matches to $6,730 for the final. But these prices may change as it adopts dynamic pricing for the first time at the World Cup.
FIFA tickets are available in four categories, with the best seats in Category 1.
The price list published by the German Federation contained only three categories.
The lowest priced ticket was $180 Germanyopening group game against Curacao In Houston. The minimum price for the semi-finals was $920, rising to $1,125.
The FSE called on FIFA to immediately stop ticket sales through national associations, “until a solution can be found that respects the tradition, universality and cultural significance of the World Cup.”
The Associated Press contacted FIFA for comment.
FIFA launched its third phase of mass ticket sales on Thursday, with fans now able to apply for specific matches for the first time through its “random selection draw”.
Following last week’s draw for the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, an updated schedule has been published.
This means fans know when and where they like. Lionel Messi And argentina Will play. Previous ticket ballots were blind because the qualifying period had not completed and the drawing had yet to take place.
The participating countries have now been placed into groups, and their paths through the tournament have been determined. For example, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo If Argentina and the two can meet in the quarterfinals in Kansas City portugal Be on top in your group.
It’s not like fans are guaranteed to get tickets to the games they apply for.
The draw opened on December 11 at 11am ET (4pm GMT) and will close on January 13, 2026.
The last time the US hosted the World Cup in 1994, prices ranged from $25 to $475. Prices ranged from around $70 to $1,600 when ticket details were announced in Qatar in 2022.
Information from the Associated Press and PA was used in this report.
