Published on
Football fans have accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal” after the latest prices for World Cup tickets began to circulate on Thursday.
The governing body allocates 8% of tickets to national associations for games involving their team to sell to the most loyal fans.
And a list published by the German football federation revealed prices ranged from $180-$700 (€153-€595) for varying group stage games. The lowest priced ticket for the final was $4,185 (€3,561) and the highest was $8,680 (€7,387).
Those group-stage prices are very different from FIFA’s claims of $60 (€51) tickets being available, while the target from United States football officials when bidding for the tournament seven years ago was to offer hundreds of thousands of $21 (€17) seats across the opening phase of games.
Fan organisation Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described the current prices as “extortionate.”
“This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is,” it said in a statement.
FIFA said in September that tickets released through its website would initially range from $60 (€51) for group-stage matches to $6,730 (€5,727) for the final. But those prices are subject to 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.
In the price list published by the German federation, there were only three categories.
The lowest priced ticket was $180 (€153) for Germany’s opening group game against Curaçao in Houston. The lowest price for the semifinal was $920 (€783) rising to $1,125 (€957).
The FSE called on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales via national associations “until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found.”
Latest phase
FIFA launched its third phase of widespread 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.
That means fans know when and where the likes of Lionel Messi and Argentina will play. Previous ticket ballots were blind as the qualification period had not even been completed and the draw was yet to take place.
Now participating nations have been placed in groups, with their paths through the tournament determined.
But fans aren’t guaranteed to get tickets to the games they apply for. The draw opened on 11 December and closes on 13 January.
FIFA says ticket applications can be made at any point during this window and the timing of entry will not impact the chances of success.
Fans can apply via FIFA’s website for a maximum of four tickets per household per match and a maximum of 40 tickets throughout the tournament.
Fans will need a FIFA ID to apply for tickets and can pick which matches and which pricing category they want to apply for.
There are four categories, with the best seats in Category 1, and Category 4 seats somewhere around the top of stadiums.
Successful applicants will be notified by email in February and charged automatically.
Additional sources • AP