The Football Association will share fans’ concerns with FIFA over their outrageous ticket prices for the World Cup.
It has emerged that the cheapest seats at the final will cost £3,129 – and should England progress to that fixture Three Lions’ fans will have to pay more than £5,000 on tickets alone.
Fans groups have slated the governing body, with the Football Supporters’ Association branding the prices ‘laughable’. ‘Loyalty has been thrown out of the window and supporters of the participating nations have been completely let down’, they added.
Football Supporters’ Europe went further, saying they were ‘astonished by the extortionate ticket prices imposed by FIFA on the most dedicated supporters for next year’s Fifa World Cup’.
A spokesperson added: ‘This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is.’
Daily Mail Sport understands that the FA is aware of the depth of feeling and will present the views of supporters to FIFA. Whether that makes any difference remains to be seen.
| Converted Ticket Prices (USD – GBP) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Match / Stage | Venue | Category 1 | Category 2 | Category 3 |
| Match 22: England v Croatia | Dallas | £523 | £373 | £198 |
| Match 45: England v Ghana | Boston | £448 | £321 | £164 |
| Match 67: England v Panama | New York / New Jersey | £463 | £347 | £164 |
| Round of 32 | TBC | £456 | £366 | £176 |
| Round of 16 | TBC | £575 | £453 | £220 |
| Quarter Final | TBC | £1,076 | £757 | £506 |
| Semi Final | Atlanta or Dallas | £2,368 | £1,823 | £688 |
| (3PO) Bronze Final | Miami | £840 | £646 | £340 |
| Final | New York / New Jersey | £6,492 | £4,169 | £3,129 |
Earlier, it emerged that the cheapest tickets for England fans travelling to the tournament are more than ten times the price promised in the original bid for USA, Canada and Mexico to host the tournament.
FIFA announced that the cheapest tickets available to members of England’s official fan group for group matches would be £165, — while the document’s model said that the cheapest seats should be £15.70.
Elsewhere on the bid document, which remains on FIFA’s website, the lowest price for the final was to be £95 – and not the £3,129 being offered to fans of competing nations, which is more than 30 times higher.
According to those with knowledge of the situation, there is a now the very real prospect that England may not even sell out their eight per cent allocation per match for some games, although a large ex-pat population in the US is expected to swell numbers.
It would appear that FIFA executive and president Gianni Infantino has decided to increase prices based on demand and prices charged in the US for other major sporting events. According to The Times, FIFA council members only found out via the media.
The 2026 bid document promised $1.8bn ticket revenues to FIFA and predicted each match would sell out. However, FIFA now expects to pocket $3.3bn, almost twice that figure.
