FIFA Cuts World Cup 2026 Ticket Prices After Fan Backlash, Offers $60 Seats for Loyal Supporters

FIFA has dramatically slashed World Cup 2026 ticket prices for loyal fans, offering seats priced at $60 for every match – including the final – instead of fees as high as $4,185, following intense global criticism of its ticketing strategy.

The decision marks a rare public climbdown by FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino, who has faced mounting backlash over World Cup 2026 pricing, commercial policies and closer political alignment with United States President Donald Trump ahead of the expanded tournament in North America.

$60 ‘Supporter Entry Tier’ Introduced

FIFA confirmed on Tuesday that $60 tickets will be allocated for every game at the tournament, which will be staged across 16 host cities. This includes 11 NFL stadiums in the United States, as well as two venues in Canada and three in Mexico.

These tickets will be distributed through the national football federations of competing teams, which will decide how to allocate them to loyal supporters who have regularly attended home and away matches.

Each team is expected to receive between 400 and 750 tickets per game under what FIFA has labelled a new “Supporter Entry Tier” pricing category.

While FIFA did not explicitly explain the sudden shift, it said the revised pricing was “designed to further support travelling fans following their national teams across the tournament.”

Supporter Groups Dismiss Move As Damage Control

The Football Supporters Europe (FSE) group, which represents grassroots fan organisations, criticised the decision as insufficient and reactive.

The group described the move as “an appeasement tactic due to the global negative backlash,” arguing that FIFA’s ticketing policy had been rushed and implemented without proper consultation.

“This shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and without proper consultation,” FSE said in a statement.

Despite the partial rollback, the group warned that most fans would still face historically high prices, far exceeding costs at previous World Cups.

Record Revenue, Record Costs For Fans

The World Cup 2026 will be the first to feature 48 teams, up from 32, and FIFA expects the tournament to generate at least $10 billion in revenue. It is also shaping up to be the most expensive World Cup ever for supporters.

FIFA has already received more than 20 million ticket requests in the latest sales phase, despite widespread anger over pricing.

Fans initially reacted with shock when FIFA released ticketing plans that excluded national team allocations from the cheapest pricing category, despite teams traditionally receiving 8% of stadium capacity per match.

Group-stage tickets were priced between $140 and $265, with the higher-end games involving high-profile teams such as Lionel Messi’s Argentina, Cristiano Ronaldo’s Portugal, Brazil, and England.

This contradicted earlier promises made eight years ago during the North American bid process, when organisers pledged hundreds of thousands of $21 tickets for matches before the knockout rounds.

Hospitality And Refund Concerns

FIFA’s expanded hospitality programme – now managed in-house at modern NFL venues – is projected to earn billions of dollars, significantly more than previous World Cups, where hospitality was outsourced.

European fan criticism has grown steadily over plans to introduce dynamic pricing, additional fees on FIFA’s resale platform, and delayed refunds for fans who book tickets covering all potential matches, from the group stage through to the final.

In another concession on Tuesday, FIFA said it would waive administrative fees on refunds processed after the July 19 final.

Concerns Raised Over Disabled Fan Access

Even before FIFA’s announcement, FSE called for a rethink of ticketing policies for fans with disabilities.

The group said FIFA’s resale platform was listing disability-access seats at multiple times face value, with no guarantee that those tickets would be sold to disabled supporters. It also highlighted that free companion tickets, available at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, are no longer offered.

FSE referenced Infantino’s controversial speech in Qatar, where he said, “Today I feel disabled,” urging FIFA to match rhetoric with action.

“True inclusion requires action,” FSE said. “It’s time for FIFA to move away from populist statements and respect its own commitments.”

(With AP Inputs)