Fans hoping to attend next year’s World Cup final will have to pay thousands of reais for the cheapest ticket.
Fans’ association Football Supporters Europe said it was “stunned” by FIFA’s “exorbitant” pricing strategy and called for an “immediate end to ticket sales”.
FIFA has not yet commented on its pricing decisions.
BBC Sport has discovered that tickets for the final at MetLife Stadium, New York, come in three categories (below, with the price already converted to reais):
*Supporter value level: from R$20,300 to R$21,800;
*Standard level supporter: from R$27,000 to R$28,900;
*Premium Level Supporter: from R$43,000 to R$46,100
Tickets for the FIFA main event are up to seven times more expensive than for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where the cheapest costs R$2,900.
There are no discounted tickets for children or other groups.
And unlike recent tournaments, group stage matches are priced based on a team’s “perceived popularity” rather than a flat rate.
This means, for example, that fans of Brazil and England will pay more than those of Panama and Scotland.
FIFA has not yet clarified how this “popularity” is determined.
In Qatar, group stage matches had fixed prices of R$445, R$1,070 and R$1,420.
But for England x Croatia, on June 17, 2026, the values will be R$1,290, R$2,420 and R$3,400. For England x Ghana the prices will be R$1,070, R$2,080 and R$2,900.
Scotland’s first two matches are cheaper than England’s (Scotland x Haiti: R$870, R$1,940 and R$2,420; Scotland x Morocco: R$1,060, R$2,080 and R$2,900).
Scotland’s final match, against Brazil, will have the same price as England’s match against Croatia.
Quarterfinal matches cost R$3,290, R$4,920 and R$6,960.
The semi-finals: R$4,460, R$11,820 and R$15,360.
To follow the entire tournament until the final, a person would spend around R$34,000 in the cheapest bracket, up to R$55,800 in the middle bracket, or R$80,300 in the highest category.
In 2022, it would have cost R$9,500, R$17,200 or R$25,400.
Details were revealed with the opening of the main ticket draw this Thursday afternoon.
On Monday, members of official supporters associations will be able to participate in a draw for individual matches or follow their team to the final.
There are approximately 4,000 tickets per match available through these official groups.
All other tickets are distributed by drawing lots, with the exception of those reserved by FIFA for partner companies. Dynamic pricing is not used in the general drawing or the national association drawing.
The FSE has explained why it is asking FIFA to stop the ticket sales process, saying the entity needs to rethink its pricing policy.
“In the price lists published gradually and confidentially by FIFA, tickets intended for national associations (…) reach astronomical levels,” the group said in a press release.
“To make matters worse, the cheapest category will not be available to the most dedicated supporters through their national associations, with FIFA having decided to reserve the limited number of category four tickets for general sale, subject to dynamic pricing.”
“For the first time in the history of the World Cup, there will be no fixed price for all matches in the group stage. Instead, FIFA is introducing a policy of variable prices, depending on vague criteria such as the attractiveness of the match.”
“Supporters of different teams will therefore have to pay different amounts for the same category and at the same stage of the tournament, without any transparency on the pricing structure imposed by FIFA.”
England supporters’ association ESTC said the awards “are a slap in the face to supporters who follow their team outside of the main tournament which only takes place every four years”.
“Football for fans, loyalty… all of that has been abandoned. The fans of the participating teams have been completely abandoned.”
England fan Luke Buxton told BBC Radio 5 Live he found the prices “absolutely outrageous”.
“This is a huge betrayal of the most dedicated fans of all nations who follow their teams at next year’s World Cup,” he said.
“Our plan was to attend the group stage matches, return home and travel again for the round of 16. Ideally for the round of 16, but that might cost too much. Then the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final.”
“However, with these prizes announced today, I don’t know if I will be able to qualify for the round of 16.”
It is not yet clear whether fans selected for “follow your team” tickets will have the full amount charged to their credit cards in January.
If the team is eliminated, reimbursement for matches without participation will be returned to the card.
There will be no dynamic pricing at this stage of sales, but prices will likely be much higher if fans attempt to purchase from the FIFA resale site after this time.
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