Earlier this month, FIFA held the draw for the World Cup games scheduled for next year in North America – Canada, United States, and Mexico.
A majority of the games will be played in the United States with eleven NFL stadiums being used; with two stadiums in Canada and three in Mexico.
And almost immediately, tickets prices began to soar; in some cases into the thousands of dollars each.
After global backlash over ticket prices, FIFA has slashed the ticket prices for some of the games to just $60.
There have also been some questions over FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s relationship with the president of the United States.
FIFA announced that the $60 tickets will go to the teams – 400 to 750 – playing in the games for distribution to loyal fans in what FIFA is calling a “Supporter Entry Tier” price category.
While FIFA gave no specific reason for the price drop; they did note that the prices were “designed to further support traveling fans following their national teams across the tournament.”
The Football Supporters Europe group stated the price drop was due to “an appeasement tactic due to the global negative backlash.” Adding via a statement, “this shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and without proper consultation”. The FSE also noted, “the vast majority would still have to pay extortionate prices, way higher than at any tournament before.”
The 2026 World Cup will include 48 teams and is expected to bring FIFA at least $10 billion in revenue.
The event is also likely to be a very expensive one for fans traveling from Europe, Asia, and Africa; especially in light of the current administration’s visa policies.
FIFA claims to have received over 20 million ticket requests.
After an original promise of lower entry level tickets that did not include games with the U.S., Canada, or Mexico; fans were shocked to find tickets running between $140 and $265 each with the higher priced tickets being for games that featured Lionel Messi, Christiano Ronaldo, Brazil, and England.
Inflated ticket prices due to “dynamic pricing”, extra fees, and resale platforms are typical in the United States but not so for football matches around the remainder of the world.
Already upset over ticket pricing; fans became enraged when they learned that any refunds for later round games that were purchased for later round games but the home team were not involved would not happen until after the tournament. FIFA has said that they would waive administrative fees on refunds after July 19 – the date for the final match.
The TSE also took exception to the tickets for fans with disabilities. Not only are the resale platforms selling tickets designated for people with disabilities at several times the face value, those tickets were not guaranteed for people with disabilities; AND free companion tickets will no longer be available as they were in Qatar.