Gianni Infantino has been forced to back down. After widespread fan protests, FIFA announced significant price reductions for tickets to the 2026 World Cup, which will be hosted in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. However, the adjustment will only help a limited group of supporters.
When FIFA first released its pricing structure for the tournament, fans reacted sharply. Initial prices ranged from $82 for a group-stage match to $6,730 for the final.
As usual, seats are divided into categories, with Category 4 being the cheapest and Category 1 the most expensive.
FIFA also offers hospitality packages that include private suites and food-and-beverage service. These packages range from $5,300 to $8,275, but even those offerings were not enough to quell the backlash, prompting FIFA to revise its approach.
FIFA lowers ticket prices – but only for some fans
Following several meetings with its member associations, FIFA agreed to introduce a new price tier specifically for supporters of teams that qualify for the 2026 World Cup.
“The newly introduced Supporter Entry Tier will be available at the fixed price of $60 per ticket for each of the 104 matches, including the final,” a FIFA spokesperson announced.
But the measure has strict limits. Each national federation will receive up to 10% of the tickets for its team’s matches to distribute to registered supporters.
For example, England will receive 4,000 tickets for its opening match against Croatia in Dallas. Of those, only 400 will be sold at the new $60 price, while another 600 will be sold at the highest price tier.
FIFA faces unprecedented demand for 2026 World Cup tickets
According to comments reported by the Daily Mail, a FIFA official involved in the discussions said, “Demand for tickets has been off the scale – more than 20 million requests so far in this latest phase.”
They also acknowledged the unique challenges of this World Cup, including the fact that the United States allows ticket resale on secondary platforms – a practice not permitted in many other host nations.
Regarding the discounted tickets, the official cautioned that “Associations will need to work out who best should receive them,” a process that could create yet another hurdle for genuine soccer fans.
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