FIFA’s pricing strategy for the 2026 World Cup has been branded a “gross betrayal” after it was revealed that the cheapest tickets for next summer’s final will cost fans an astronomical £3,120. England fans will need to spend around £200 to watch Thomas Tuchel’s side take on Croatia in the opening game of the tournament. The price applies to so-called “value tier” seats at Dallas’ 100,000-capacity venue, with a “standard tier” ticket priced at £373. Those seeking ‘premier’ seats will face an eye-watering £523 bill for the opening group stage game.
These costs relate to tickets purchased through a ‘Participant Member Allocation’ (PMA), i.e. tickets purchased through the Official England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC). The revelation of PMA’s pricing structure sparked outrage among advocacy organizations around the world. Football Supporters Europe (FSE) said that according to currently available information, fans can expect to pay more than £6,000 to watch every match from the opening game to the final through their PMA allocation. This is five times the amount needed to do the same thing at the 2022 Qatar Games.
“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 the World Cup’s heritage and ignores the contribution of supporters to this spectacle. We call on FIFA to immediately halt the sale of PMA tickets, consult with all affected parties, and review the allocation of ticket prices and categories until a solution is found that respects the tradition, universality and cultural importance of the World Cup.”
According to information released by UEFA in the autumn of 2023, if England play from the opening game to the final of Euro 2024, tickets in the ‘Fans First’ category will cost £328. The next tier also adds up to £753.
Free Lions, an English advocacy group, posted a post on X expressing support for FSE’s statement, describing the price as “a shocking price that far exceeds the already high costs we were expecting.”
“This kind of thing cannot be tolerated,” the group said. “Game-goers around the world should be protected from these rip-off prices,” their statement continued.
Tickets for England’s group stage matches against Panama and Ghana start from £134, with the most affordable prices for the round of 32 and round of 16 games being £175 and £200 respectively. The cheapest ticket for the quarter-final against England is £508, while tickets for the semi-final will cost £687.
