Daijiworld Media Network - Zurich
Zurich, Dec 17: Bowing to mounting global criticism, FIFA has announced a significant reduction in ticket prices for the upcoming FIFA World Cup in North America, offering $60 tickets for all matches — including the final — to the most loyal supporters of participating teams.
The decision marks a rare climbdown by FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino, who have faced widespread backlash over the tournament’s ticketing strategy, which featured record-high prices and sparked anger among fan groups worldwide.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, FIFA said the newly introduced “Supporter Entry Tier” will make $60 tickets available for every match, allocated to national football federations whose teams are playing. These federations will decide how to distribute the tickets to loyal fans who have consistently followed their teams at home and away.
Sources indicated that each team is likely to receive between 400 and 750 tickets per match under this category. The 2026 World Cup will be hosted across 16 cities — 11 in the United States, two in Canada and three in Mexico — with several matches scheduled at NFL stadiums.
While FIFA did not directly acknowledge the criticism, it said the revised pricing was “designed to further support travelling fans following their national teams across the tournament.”
However, Football Supporters Europe (FSE), which represents grassroots fan organisations, termed the move an “appeasement tactic” prompted by global outrage. “This clearly shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy was rushed and decided without proper consultation,” the group said.
The North America World Cup will be the first edition to feature 48 teams, up from 32, and is projected to generate at least $10 billion in revenue for FIFA. It is also expected to be the most expensive World Cup ever for fans.
Despite the controversy, FIFA said it has already received more than 20 million ticket requests in the latest sales phase. FSE, however, maintained that even after the price cut, “the vast majority of supporters will still have to pay extortionate prices, far higher than any previous tournament.”
Initial pledge for cheap tickets
Fan anger intensified last week after FIFA’s ticketing plans revealed that participating teams would receive no allocation in the lowest-priced category, despite being entitled to 8% of stadium capacity per team.
The cheapest tickets were priced between $140 and $265 for group-stage matches not involving co-hosts the United States, Canada and Mexico. The higher-priced games include fixtures involving Argentina, Portugal, Brazil and England.
This was seen as a stark contrast to promises made by the co-hosts eight years ago during their bid, when they pledged that hundreds of thousands of $21 tickets would be made available for matches before the knockout stages.
Criticism had also been growing over FIFA’s plans to introduce “dynamic pricing” and additional fees on its in-house resale platform — practices common in the U.S. entertainment industry but widely opposed by football fans globally.
In another concession, FIFA announced it would waive administrative fees on ticket refunds processed after the final on July 19, following complaints that fans would not be refunded until after the tournament.
Concerns over fans with disabilities
Separately, FSE renewed its call for FIFA to reconsider its ticketing policy for fans with disabilities. The group said FIFA’s resale platform was listing disability-access tickets at several times their face value, with no guarantee they would go to disabled fans.
It also pointed out that disabled supporters no longer receive free companion tickets, a provision that was available at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
“True inclusion requires action,” FSE said, urging FIFA to move beyond “populistic statements” and honour its commitments to accessibility and fairness for all supporters.