FIFA on Tuesday announced a new cut-price ticket category following a backlash from supporters over pricing for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, reports AFP.
World football’s governing body said it had created a limited “Supporter Entry Tier” priced at $60 for all 104 matches, including the final. FIFA said the move was designed to help fans travelling to follow their national teams throughout the tournament.
According to FIFA, the $60 tickets—about €51—will be reserved for supporters of teams that qualify for the World Cup and will make up 10 percent of each national federation’s ticket allocation.
The announcement was met with scepticism from Football Supporters Europe (FSE), which last week described FIFA’s original pricing plans as “extortionate” and “astronomical.” While welcoming the introduction of cheaper tickets, the group said the changes were insufficient.
“While we welcome FIFA’s seeming recognition of the damage its original plans were set to cause, the revisions do not go far enough,” FSE said in a statement.
FSE has said ticket prices for the 2026 tournament are almost five times higher than those at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, calling the pricing a “monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup.” The group estimates that a fan following their team from the opening match to the final would spend at least $6,900, despite FIFA promising tickets from $21 in its 2018 bid document.
‘Appeasement tactic’
FSE said FIFA’s partial reversal highlighted flaws in how prices were set for the tournament.
“For now, we see this announcement as little more than an appeasement tactic in response to a global backlash,” the group said, arguing that ticket prices were rushed through without proper consultation, including with FIFA’s own member associations.
Based on available allocations, FSE said only a few hundred supporters per match and team would benefit from the $60 tickets, while most fans would still face prices higher than at any previous World Cup. The organisation also criticised the lack of specific provisions for supporters with disabilities and their companions.
Britain’s Prime Minister Keir Starmer echoed those concerns, saying FIFA’s move did not go far enough.
“I welcome FIFA’s announcement of some lower-priced supporters’ tickets,” Starmer wrote on X. “But I encourage FIFA to do more to keep the World Cup accessible to the genuine supporters who make the game so special.”
In announcing the new tier, FIFA said national federations would be required to ensure the tickets are allocated to “loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams.” It added that fans who buy knockout-stage tickets but see their team eliminated earlier will have administrative fees waived when refunds are processed.
FIFA said the announcement comes amid “extraordinary global demand,” with more than 20 million ticket requests already submitted. The first-round ticket draw for all price categories is scheduled for Tuesday, January 13.
Bd-pratidin English/ Jisan
