FIFA has announced a limited release of lower-priced tickets for every match at the 2026 World Cup, following fierce criticism from supporters’ groups over the cost of attending the tournament.
Under the revised plan, a small number of tickets priced at $60, or about £45, will be made available across all 104 matches. FIFA said the new price band is aimed at a select group of loyal supporters from countries that have qualified for the competition.
The BBC quoted a FIFA official close to the discussions as saying, “We have listened to feedback, and this new category is the right thing to do,” adding that the decision was taken unanimously.
The move comes after weeks of pressure from fan organisations, who warned that the original pricing risked shutting out ordinary supporters.
For England fans, the previous structure would have meant spending more than £5,000 to follow the team all the way to the final, a figure described as “scandalous” by the Football Supporters’ Association.
UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer welcomed the announcement but urged FIFA to go further.
“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 does not lose touch with the genuine supporters who make the game so special,” he said.
The £45 seats sit in the supporter entry tier, the cheapest category on offer. They will account for 10 per cent of each participating nation’s allocation. The tournament will be hosted jointly by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Not everyone has been impressed. Tom Greatrex, chair of the FSA, dismissed the move as a “hollow gesture”, adding: “What sounds like a climbdown is a cynical attempt to deflect attention while continuing to rip fans off.”
Football Supporters Europe struck a similar tone, saying that while it welcomed “Fifa’s seeming recognition of the damage its original plans were to cause, the revisions do not go far enough to reconcile”.
Senior officials held meetings over the weekend and earlier this week in Doha, Qatar, where concerns about ticket pricing were discussed.
Sources within the English Football Association say the changes were raised directly with Fifa’s leadership ahead of those talks and are privately viewed as a step in the right direction.
In a statement, FIFA said: “The entry tier tickets will be allocated specifically to supporters of qualified teams, with the selection and distribution process managed individually by the participating member associations.
“Each PMA will define its own eligibility criteria and application process. They are requested to ensure that these tickets are specifically allocated to loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams.
“In total, 50% of each PMA allocation will fall within the most affordable range, namely the supporter value tier (40%) and the supporter entry tier (10%). The remaining allocation is split evenly between the supporter standard tier and the supporter premier tier.”
