FIFA has announced a new US$60 (about £45) ticket category for the 2026 World Cup, following widespread criticism over what fans described as excessive and exclusionary pricing.
The decision, confirmed on December 16, introduces a “Supporter Entry Tier” aimed at providing limited low-cost access to the expanded 48-team tournament, which will be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico. The move comes after supporters’ groups, including Football Supporters Europe (FSE), condemned the original pricing structure for offering few affordable options and listing some tickets for marquee matches at more than US$4,000.
Under the new arrangement, the $60 tickets will be available for all 104 matches, including the final. However, access will be tightly restricted. FIFA said the tickets will account for only 10 percent of the allocation given to each Participating Member Association (PMA) and will be reserved exclusively for fans of qualified national teams.
National football federations will be responsible for distributing the tickets, with FIFA stating they are intended for “loyal supporters” closely connected to their teams. Based on stadium capacities, the policy is expected to translate to roughly 1,000 tickets per match, representing about 1.6 percent of total seating on average.
In addition to the new ticket tier, FIFA announced it will waive administrative fees on refunds for fans whose teams are eliminated before later stages of the tournament for which tickets were pre-purchased.
Despite the changes, fan organisations have offered a muted response. FSE described the move as an appeasement rather than a solution, arguing that the vast majority of tickets remain priced well above levels seen at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in FIFA’s history, both in scale and commercial ambition. While FIFA insists the revised pricing structure balances accessibility with rising hosting and operational costs, critics continue to question whether the tournament is drifting further away from its traditional supporter base.
