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Soccer fans have accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal” after latest prices for World Cup tickets began to circulate on Thursday.
The governing body allocates eight per cent of tickets to national associations for games involving their team to sell to the most loyal fans.
And a list published by the German soccer federation revealed prices ranged from $180-$700 US for varying group stage games. The lowest price for the final was $4,185 and the highest was $8,680.
Those group-stage prices are very different from FIFA’s claims of $60 tickets being available, while the target from United States soccer officials when bidding for the tournament seven years ago was to offer hundreds of thousands of $21 seats across the opening phase of games.
Fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described the current prices as “extortionate”.
“This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is,” it said in a statement.
The English Football Association shared pricing information with the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC) on Thursday evening, which showed that if a fan bought a ticket for every game through to the final it would cost just over $7,000.
FIFA said in September that tickets released through its website would initially range from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the final. But those prices are subject to change as it adopts dynamic pricing for the first time at the World Cup.
FIFA tickets are available in four categories, with the best seats in Category 1.
In the price list published by the German federation, there were only three categories.
The lowest priced ticket was $180 for Germany’s opening group game against Curacao in Houston. The lowest price for the semifinal was $920 rising to $1,125.
The FSE called on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales via national associations “until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found.”
The Associated Press approached FIFA for comment.
The FIFA World Cup match schedule has been released. Toronto will host six games at BMO field, which will soon be known as Toronto Stadium for the duration of the World Cup. CBC’s Mercedes Gaztambide caught up with some excited fans.
Latest phase
FIFA launched its third phase of widespread ticket sales Thursday, with fans now able to apply for specific matches for the first time through its “Random Selection Draw.”
Following last week’s draw for the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, an updated schedule has been published.
That means fans know when and where the likes of Lionel Messi and Argentina will play. Previous ticket ballots were blind as the qualification period had not even been completed, and the draw was yet to take place.
The prices for Canada’s opening game against a European playoff winner, on June 12 at Toronto’s BMO Field, started at $1,300 Cdn for a Category 3 ticket, going up to $2,205 for Category 2 and $3,035 for Category 1.
Prices for the June 18 and June 24 games against Qatar and Switzerland, respectively, at Vancouver’s B.C. Place Stadium are $370 for Category 3, $700 for Category 2 and $980 for Category 3.
Now participating nations have been placed in groups, with their paths through the tournament determined. For instance, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could go on to meet in the quarterfinals in Kansas City if both Argentina and Portugal top their respective groups.
Not that fans are guaranteed to get tickets to the games they apply for.
The draw opened Thursday at 11 a.m. ET and closes Jan. 13, 2026.
FIFA says ticket applications can be made at any point during this window and the timing of entry will not impact the chances of success. Fans can apply via FIFA’s website for a maximum of four tickets per household per match and a maximum of 40 tickets throughout the tournament.
Fans will need a FIFA ID to apply for tickets and can pick which matches and which pricing category they want to apply for.
There are four categories, with the best seats in Category 1, and Category 4 seats somewhere around the top of stadiums.
Successful applicants will be notified by email in February and charged automatically.
Officials in B.C. say planning for the 2026 FIFA World Cup is kicking into high gear, now that the FIFA match schedules are out. Vancouver will host seven World Cup games next summer. And as the CBCтАЩs Michelle Gomez reports, infrastructure upgrades are well underway in the city.
Prices
The last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994 prices ranged from $25 to $475. In Qatar in 2022 prices ranged from around $70 to $1,600 US when ticket details were announced.
Tickets for the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 are already going for in excess of $11,000 US on secondary resale sites.
For this tournament FIFA has also set up its own resale platform where it charges a 15 per cent fee based on the total resale price.
FIFA said that closer to the tournament any remaining tickets will go on general sale on a first-come, first-served basis.
It did not reveal a time frame for the release of those remaining tickets.
