FIFA has been asked to halt World Cup ticket sales after it emerged that each country’s most loyal fans were paying “exorbitant” ticket prices, with the cheapest tickets for the final costing more than £3,000.
Ticket prices for England at the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico were revealed on Thursday, with the cheapest ticket for the final for England Supporters Travel Club members to be between $4,185 (£3,120) and $8,680 (£6,471) if the Three Lions reach that stage.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described FIFA’s approach as a “monumental betrayal” of fans.
The newspaper said, based on information it has received so far, the Participants and Members Association (PMA) quota means fans will have to pay just over £6,000 to watch their team’s games from the first game to the final, five times more than they paid for the previous final in Qatar.
“European soccer supporters are stunned by the exorbitant ticket prices FIFA has imposed on its most loyal supporters for next year’s FIFA World Cup,” it said in a statement.
“This is a monumental betrayal of World Cup tradition and ignores the contribution of supporters to the World Cup spectacle.
“We call on FIFA to immediately halt the sale of PMA tickets and, in consultation with all affected parties, to review ticket prices and category allocation until a solution is found that respects the tradition, universality and cultural importance of the World Cup.”
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
Kabe Solhekol reflects on the World Cup draw in Washington after FIFA received criticism over how the tournament unfolded
The PMA allocation is equivalent to 8 people per 100 stadium capacity for each match.
The FSE noted that rather than adopting a standard price for all group matches, pricing appeared to be calculated “based on vague criteria such as the perceived attractiveness of the matches”.
In a post on X, England fan group Free Lions said it supported FSE’s statement, adding that these were “shocking prices that far exceed the already high costs we suspected.”
“This should not be tolerated,” the group added in a statement. “Game-goers around the world should be protected from these price rip-offs.”
The Scottish Football Association has confirmed the PMA’s allocated prices and announced that the cheapest tickets for the match against Haiti in Boston will cost from $180 (£134) up to $500 (£372).
Use Chrome Browser for a more accessible video player
England manager Thomas Tuchel believes his team has been given a “difficult” group.
Similarly, tickets for the second leg against Morocco in Boston start from as low as US$220 (£164), while tickets for the final group game against Brazil in Miami cost at least US$265 (£198).
The final ticket price was the same as previously published by the Croatian Football Association.
The random draw for World Cup tickets was launched by tournament organizers FIFA at 4pm UK time on Thursday.
All fans, in addition to those who can purchase tickets through PMA allocation, can go online from now until January 13 and order as many tickets as they like at a fixed price.
After the sales period ends, these fans will know how many tickets, if any, they successfully obtained, and their credit cards will be charged accordingly.
Tickets sold in previous periods are subject to dynamic pricing, meaning the price will rise or fall depending on demand.
According to information released by UEFA in the autumn of 2023, it will cost €375 (£328) to watch a match against England at Euro 2024 from the first match to the final on a ticket in the ‘Fans First’ category. Tickets in the higher categories will cost a total of €860 (£753).
The World Cup is a complete draw
Group A: Mexico, South Korea, South Africa, Republic of Ireland/Denmark/North Macedonia/Czech Republic
Group B: Canada, Switzerland, Qatar, Wales/Northern Ireland/Italy/Bosnia and Herzegovina
Group C: Brazil, Morocco, Scotland, Haiti
Group D: USA, Australia, Paraguay, Turkey/Romania/Slovakia/Kosovo
Group E: Germany, Ecuador, Ivory Coast, Curacao
Group F: Netherlands, Japan, Tunisia, Poland/Ukraine/Sweden/Albania
Group G: Belgium, Iran, Egypt, New Zealand
Group H: Spain, Uruguay, Saudi Arabia, Cape Verde
Group I: France, Senegal, Norway, Iraq, or Bolivia/Suriname
Group J: Argentina, Austria, Algeria, Jordan
Group K: Portugal, Colombia, Uzbekistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, or Jamaica/New Caledonia
Group L: England, Croatia, Panama, Ghana
Main dates of the World Cup
Group Stage: June 11th-27th
Round of 32: June 28th to July 3rd
Round 16: July 4-7
Quarterfinals: July 9th-11th
Semi-finals: July 14th-15th
3rd place match (“Bronze Final”): July 18th
Last day: July 19th
