In response to strong opposition, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has significantly reduced the prices of some World Cup tickets, allowing some of the most loyal fans of certain teams to watch the final for a special price of $60.
FIFA announced on Tuesday (December 16) that special price tickets of $60 will be available for each match. These tickets will be distributed to the national football associations of the participating teams, who will decide how to allocate them to the loyal fans who have attended matches both at home and away.
It is expected that each team will have between 400 to 750 tickets available at $60 per match, with FIFA categorizing this ticket price as the “Supporter Entry Tier.”
While FIFA did not provide specific reasons for the drastic change in strategy, they stated that the price reduction is aimed at “further supporting fans to follow their national teams throughout the tournament.”
Last week, FIFA unveiled ticketing plans for matches excluding those involving the three co-hosting countries of the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The lowest ticket prices for group stage matches ranged from $120 to $265. This move sparked shock and discontent among global fans, who strongly opposed FIFA’s World Cup ticket pricing strategy.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted across 16 stadiums in North America, including 11 NFL (National Football League) stadiums in the United States, two stadiums in Canada, and three stadiums in Mexico. The hospitality services at modern NFL stadiums are now managed internally instead of being outsourced to agencies, expected to generate billions of dollars in revenue for FIFA instead of just millions.
The World Cup held in North America will be the first edition with 48 teams competing (previously 32), projected to bring in at least $10 billion in revenue for FIFA.
FIFA has announced that they have received over 20 million ticket applications in the latest round of ticket sales.
【Reference: Associated Press】