FIFA’s relentless greed has seen supporters asked to pay a minimum of £3,120 for tickets to the World Cup final in New Jersey
Probably one of the most used phrases in soccer. But this time, the game worked.
It’s gone from me. An ordinary fan who watches a club or national team match. I’ve been through TV contracts, season ticket prices, pies, pints and everything else, but it’s finally priceless.
Everyone’s worst fears were realized on Thursday when the FA handed out the exorbitant cost of each England game in next summer’s marquee fixtures across North America.
It was already known that tickets purchased directly from FIFA for the draw would be astronomically expensive, but there was also hope that there might be cheaper tickets available for the federations to sell to fans once the matches were confirmed.
Not only is that not true, prices are actually going up.
read more: FIFA accuses England of ‘gross betrayal’, covers full cost of World Cup ticketsread more: FIFA World Cup final tickets on sale for £3,120, England fans furious
Tickets for the final were available for just $2,790, or just over £2,000, for a Category 3 ticket when purchased directly from FIFA. For fans buying through the federation, the price rose to a frankly disgusting $4,185, or about £3,120.
Again, this is the cheapest ticket available. If you want the best views and category 1 seats, you’ll pay $8,680, or around £6,500.
To make matters worse, going back to the US, Canada and Mexico bid ledger document published by FIFA in 2018, the price of a Category 3 finals ticket was expected to be $695, or around £520. In reality, the ticket costs six times the amount offered.
By the way, “Fan First” tickets for the Euro 2024 final between England and Spain cost 95 euros (about 83 pounds) and were readily available to supporters who worked hard during the qualifying rounds.
UEFA also had the common sense to allow fans to pay for tickets once their country reached a certain stage of the tournament. This differs from FIFA, which requires advance payments to be refunded minus fees at an unspecified later date if a team fails to reach the match in question.
Add in flights, domestic travel across continents, accommodation and expenses, and the 2026 World Cup will be out of reach for the vast majority of fans.
It is natural that FIFA will have many vacant seats. Many tickets will still be sold. More than 80,000 spectators are expected to gather for the final match. But in most cases, they won’t be soccer fans as we know them. And it’s a total travesty.
FIFA is the enemy here, but the FA and other federations around the world also need to speak out. It is unrealistic to think that the allocation will be rejected, but these prices must be united with members to condemn and condemn.
One look at the drawing ceremony featuring Donald Trump’s Peace Prize and the Village People shows just how far from reality FIFA and Gianni Infantino are. They are ruining the so-called beautiful game as we know it.
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