The Great Betrayal: FIFA’s Outlandish World Cup Ticket Prices
With the cheapest ticket to the final more than $4,000, average soccer fans are being priced out – ensuring World Cup 2026 won’t be the global tournament it labels itself as.
FIFA has gravely betrayed the very fans who made it the global juggernaut it is now. The startling ticket prices for the upcoming World Cup have left soccer fans across the world not only feeling disappointed, but also finding themselves priced out entirely from the beautiful game.
Football Supporters Europe declared the prices a “monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup.” Meanwhile, England’s Football Supporters Association called the astonishing costs “a laughable insult to your average fan.” These sentiments have been echoed by supporters worldwide after being unable to support their teams live at the four-yearly tournament. I, too, am one such fan. I have attended the last two World Cups and, after experiencing the global celebratory atmosphere, was hoping to attend my third. Seeing the extortionate price hikes, I’ve found myself let down by the sport I love.
The prices announced last Thursday vary depending on the stage of the World Cup and the subjective popularity of a team playing, which means England matches, for example, are more expensive than Scottish ones.