Football fan organisations have called on FIFA to immediately suspend ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico, warning that soaring prices risk pricing ordinary supporters out of the tournament. Premium seats for the final are approaching $9,000, prompting outrage and accusations that football’s showpiece is being transformed into an event for corporate elites.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) led the criticism on Thursday after several national federations circulated detailed price lists showing ticket costs up to seven times higher than those for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The group branded the pricing “extortionate” and a “monumental betrayal” of what the World Cup is supposed to represent, and demanded urgent talks before FIFA pushes ahead with further sales.
Ticket prices soar as fans fear ‘Corporate Games’
According to pricing shared by the football associations of Germany, England and Croatia, a supporter following their team through the entire tournament next June and July – from the group stage to the final – would face a minimum outlay of around $6,900 via official fan channels.
The most expensive seats for the 19 July final at MetLife Stadium in New York are listed at $8,680. Comparable “prime” tickets for the World Cup final in Qatar were roughly $1,600, underlining the scale of the increase.
Meanwhile, FIFA has moved into the third phase of ticket sales and introduced “variable” pricing for group matches based on what it calls fixture “attractiveness” – a concept the governing body has yet to clearly define. For example, England’s opening game against Croatia carries a $523 price for seats behind the goal, while Scotland fans will pay less for similar group fixtures, fuelling anger over what critics see as a confusing and unfair two-tier system.
“For the prices that have been put up by FIFA, we’re a bit stunned,” said Ronan Evain, executive director of Football Supporters Europe. He warned that final tickets nearing $4,000 for many fans would crush the passionate backing and colour that give World Cups their unique atmosphere, arguing that “none of this will happen” with pricing at current levels.
Prominent British football writer Henry Winter echoed those concerns, warning that locking out core match-going fans in favour of wealthier corporate clients risks turning the event into the “Corporate Games”. He also suggested broadcasters, who pay huge sums for rights, might be left with unflattering images of empty seats and subdued crowds if prices are not revised.
For fans travelling from outside North America, the situation is even more daunting. Journalist Gary Al-Smith, who covers African football, pointed out that supporters would have to pay for long-haul flights, accommodation and food on top of already eye-watering ticket prices, calling it “one helluva costly World Cup for fans”.
All of this stands in stark contrast to the 2018 United bid document, in which FIFA projected that group stage tickets for the 2026 tournament would start at just $21. Adding to the frustration, the cheapest ticket category – category four – has been removed entirely from the allocations distributed to supporter groups and held back from the main public sale, where flexible, demand-based pricing will instead apply.
FIFA faces wider backlash over ethics and neutrality
The ticket row comes at a moment when FIFA is already under intense scrutiny. President Gianni Infantino has been widely criticised for effusive public praise of US President Donald Trump, as well as for awarding Trump an inaugural “peace prize” after the US leader complained about being overlooked for the Nobel Peace Prize.
These actions have prompted a formal ethics complaint. Human rights group FairSquare announced this week that it has filed a case with FIFA’s ethics committee, arguing that the organisation’s behaviour violates its duty of political neutrality and runs counter to the broader interests of the global football community.
Against this backdrop, the 2026 ticketing strategy is being seen not just as a pricing issue, but as part of a wider pattern in which FIFA appears increasingly disconnected from the concerns of everyday fans. Supporters’ groups are now urging the governing body to pause sales, sit down with fan representatives, and return to a model that keeps the World Cup accessible – rather than one that, in their view, risks shutting ordinary supporters out of the biggest tournament in world football.
