FIFA introduces £45 tickets following World Cup pricing backlash

FIFA has slashed the price of some World Cup tickets to £45 as part of a new “Supporter Entry Tier,” a pricing category designed to allow “loyal fans” to attend matches.

The decision represents an unexpected move by football’s governing body and its president, Gianni Infantino, amid mounting backlash over what critics have described as an “extortionate” pricing strategy and FIFA’s growing convergence with President Donald Trump.

In an official statement, FIFA announced that £45 tickets will be made available for every match and distributed through the national federations of each participating team. These federations will decide how tickets are allocated based on attendance at previous games.

What sounds like a climbdown is a cynical attempt to deflect attention while continuing to rip fans off

The Chair of the Football Supporter’s Association

The Associated Press reports that each team will receive between 400 and 750 Supporter Entry Tier tickets per game, depending on the match and venue capacity.

Responding to the announcement, the chair of the Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) said that “what sounds like a climbdown is a cynical attempt to deflect attention while continuing to rip fans off.”

Football Supporters Europe (FSE) echoes this criticism, agreeing that although the new pricing strategy marks a step in the right direction, it is ultimately too little, too late. The group described the limited price cuts as “an appeasement tactic due to the global negative backlash.”

“This shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy is not set in stone, was decided in a rush, and without proper consultation,” said the fan network in a statement.

Despite persistent backlash, FIFA maintains that the price cut was the right decision, noting that more than 20 million ticket requests were received during the latest sales phase. According to FIFA officials, “Making $60 tickets available to more fans, including the most loyal ones who travel, was agreed on unanimously”.

It could cost at least $6,900 to support your team from the first match to the final –nearly five times more than in Qatar

Before this decision, FIFA faced widespread public outrage over its pricing strategy, which was widely criticised as exclusionary and excessive. When compared to ticket prices from the 2022 Qatar World Cup, a tournament heavily criticised for ethical reasons, ticket prices have multiplied significantly, with the cheapest ticket for the final priced at £3,119, seven times higher than in Qatar.

FSE described the current ticket pricing as “a betrayal of the most dedicated fans,” highlighting that it could cost “at least $6,900 to support your team from the first match to the final –nearly five times more than in Qatar.”

The rationale behind this year’s pricing strategy appears unclear, as FIFA refused to comment after releasing ticket prices. As in previous tournaments, the organisation maintains that, as a non-profit body, all money made from ticket sales will be reinvested in developing the game of football.

However, FSE claims that this year’s prices were calculated based on “vague criteria such as the perceived attractiveness of the fixture.”

Ultimately, while FIFA has framed the £45 tickets as evidence of responsiveness to fan concerns, critics argue that the measure falls far short of addressing the structural issues underlying its pricing strategy. With reduced ticket prices accounting for only a small fraction of overall availability, questions about transparency, accessibility, and governance remain unresolved as the tournament draws closer.