“They are absolutely scandalous”: Football fans’ outrage after learning about ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup

FIFA has not yet provided any information on how this “popularity” was determined.

In Qatar, prices for group stage matches were US$69, US$165 and US$220 respectively.

However, to watch Argentina or Brazil’s matches in the early stages of the 2026 World Cup, tickets cost $265, $500 and $700 respectively.

The same applies to Mexico, except for the opening game against South Africa on June 11, where ticket prices are $1,020, $1,705 and $2,355.

To see the Colombian team in the first three games, tickets for the cheapest category are sold between $180 and $265; Between $400 and $500 for the intermediate variant and between $500 and $700 for the most expensive variant, depending on the team they are playing against.

Spain, Ecuador and Uruguay have a similar situation.

Panamanian fans can watch their team for $140 per ticket – the lowest price among those offered by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup. The same goes for Paraguayans, except for the debut game against the United States, where tickets cost between $1,120 and $2,735.

Throughout the tournament up to the final, the cost of attending each of their team’s games can be up to $7,185 in the cheapest category, $11,540 on average, or $16,975 in the highest category.

In 2022, for example, it was difficult for an Argentine to follow all the games until he saw his team win the World Cup for $1,500, $2,900, or $5,000, even though this was for seven games instead of eight.

The details of the ticket prices were announced this Thursday when the draw for ticket purchases opened.

On Monday, members of national fan clubs have the opportunity to take part in the draw for individual games or to accompany their team to the final.

Around 4,000 tickets are available for each game through official fan associations.

The remainder of the tickets will be allocated by lottery, with the exception of those reserved by FIFA for its corporate partners.

The dynamic pricing system is not used in large association or national association draws.

The FSE explained this Thursday the reasons for asking FIFA to stop the ticket sales process as it needs to rethink its pricing policy.

“In the price tables published gradually and confidentially by FIFA, the tickets allocated to national associations (…) reach astronomical heights,” he said in a statement.

“To make matters worse, the lowest price category is not available to the most loyal fans through their national associations, as FIFA has decided to reserve the scarce Category 4 tickets for general sale, subject to a dynamic pricing system.”

“For the first time in the history of the World Cup, a uniform price will not be offered for all group stage matches. Instead, FIFA is introducing a variable pricing policy that depends on vague criteria such as the perceived attractiveness of the game.”

“As a result, fans of different national teams have to pay different prices for the same category at the same stage of the tournament, without any transparency about the pricing structure applied by FIFA.”

Meanwhile, the Football Supporters’ Association England Supporters’ Embassy said: “These awards are a slap in the face to fans who support their team outside of the flagship quadrennial tournament.”

“A game for the fans, loyalty was lost and the fans of the participating nations felt completely let down.”

England fan Luke Buxton told BBC Radio 5 Live he found the prices “absolutely outrageous”.

“It is a huge betrayal of the most loyal fans of every nation who follow their team at the World Cup,” he added.

“We initially planned to get to the group stage, then come home and then fly to the final stage. Ideally we would get to the round of 16, but that might be too expensive. Then we would go to the quarter-finals, the semi-finals and the final,” he said.

“However, with these ticket prices being released today, I am not sure if I will make it to the finals now,” he said.

Scotland fan John Wallan told BBC Radio 5 Live he was trying to figure out how to take his family with him.

“I’ll make sure,” he said. “But I also have two children. They are 19 and 12, so everything has become more expensive.”

“I think for a family it will be between $20,000 and $27,000. I would like to take the kids because that might not be possible for 30 years,” he said.

“We haven’t booked anything yet. We’re still thinking about whether we’ll come as a group of two, three or four.”

It is not yet clear whether fans whose request for Follow Your Team tickets is accepted will have the full amount charged to their credit card in January.

If your team is eliminated, you will be refunded the amount for games not attended. There will be no dynamic pricing in this sale, but prices are likely to be significantly higher if fans attempt to purchase on FIFA’s resale site after this phase.

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