World Cup Ticket Prices Spark Widespread Criticism; Final Exceeds €7,000
Ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup, recently announced to official fan associations from participating countries, have begun to draw widespread dissatisfaction amid significant cost inflation. The celebratory atmosphere following the draw for the upcoming World Cup quickly faded, with Yannick Van He, president of the Union of National Associations of French National Team Supporters, expressing his deep disappointment on Friday afternoon. "This is regrettable," he stated. "We have fought for years, both in France and abroad, for affordable prices for everyone, and now the American dream is fading. We are shocked; it's a disgrace to football."
Yannick received the World Cup ticket prices for his association members from the French Football Federation and described the list to them as a "scandal." Group stage match tickets range from €191 to €604, while final match tickets are priced between €3,601 and €7,466. Should the French national team reach the tournament final, as they did in 2018 and 2022, the total cost for tickets would amount to €6,050 for Category 3, €9,919 for Category 2, and €14,281 for Category 1.
In comparison, the total cost in Qatar was approximately €1,463, and in Russia, it was €1,143. This reflects a significant average inflation of 370% compared to the previous edition, according to Football Supporters Europe (FSE). These prices also do not align with the commitments outlined in the 2018 bid file, which indicated a total cost of €1,906 for Category 3 and tickets starting from $21.
The minimum ticket price has now risen to $60, nearly triple the previous cost. These Category 4 tickets are available in extremely limited quantities and are designated for general sale, which commenced in September and operates on a dynamic pricing model.
Ronan Evain, Executive Director of Football Supporters Europe (FSE), expressed his regret, stating, "There have always been expensive and affordable tickets at World Cups, but here we are facing a completely new era, a major cultural shift." On Thursday, Evain called on FIFA to halt the current ticketing system. He pointed out that a Ghanaian fan wishing to attend all group stage matches would need to pay the equivalent of 85 days of their salary, while the cost to watch the final would amount to approximately 590 days, emphasizing that "the ticketing system is the only price FIFA controls, and they have decided to raise it significantly."
