Fans continue to voice their disappointment over the astronomical cost of the 2026 World Cup.
The Football Supporters Association called ticket prices low. “ridiculous insult” fans.
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For some smaller countries, the cost of group stage tickets will be higher than a month's salary in that country. And this does not include travel and accommodation.
One Ghanaian fan told the BBC of “anger and disappointment” that Black Stars supporters could now be forced to cancel their plans.
FIFA ticket pricing policy On Thursday it became known that tickets for the group stage will cost three times more than in Qatar in 2022. The cheapest ticket for the final will cost £3,119.
FIFA said on Friday it had received five million ticket requests from fans in more than 200 countries in the 24 hours since the latest round of ticket sales opened.
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In many countries, ticket prices exceed salaries
Many Ghana fans are reconsidering their plans to support their team at the World Cup. [Getty Images]
“This is a chance to qualify. This is a chance to take part in a big event,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino in January 2017.
The FIFA Council has just voted unanimously to expand the World Cup to 48 teams. Nations that had never or rarely reached the finals were given hope.
Infantino added: “Football is more than Europe and South America. Football is global.
“The football fever you have in a country going to the World Cup is the most powerful tool you can have in those nine months leading up to qualifying and the final.”
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However, after ticket prices were published, the “football fever” subsided slightly.
While the players are there, ticket prices could exceed salaries.
Take Haiti, one of the poorest countries in the world. The average salary in the Caribbean country is around $147 (£110) a month.
The cheapest tickets for Haiti's first World Cup game in 52 years against Scotland are $180 (£135).
It costs $625 (£467) to attend all three matches (they also play Brazil and Morocco). That's more than four months' salary for the average Haitian, just to break ground.
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It's a similar story in Ghana, where the average monthly salary is around $254 (£190).
Ghanaian supporter Jojo Quansah told the BBC World Service that fans will have to cancel their plans.
“It's a bit of a disappointment for those who have spent the last three-and-a-half years trying to save some money in hopes of getting their first World Cup experience,” he said.
“FIFA themselves have decided to increase the number of teams so that many more small football countries have the opportunity to represent themselves and their fans.
“This was overshadowed by the cost to those same fans of being deprived of the opportunity to watch their country play at the World Cup.
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“I have a feeling that quite a lot of people over the next few months will give up their desire to compete in the next World Cup. Unfortunately. Very sad.”
Other countries may see their fans devalued.
You've bought your tickets, what about the flights?
Any fan wanting to follow their team from the first game to the final, if they make it there, will spend a minimum of £5,200 on tickets.
That's travel. For an England fan planning to attend the group stage, current prices include flights from London to Dallas, Boston to New York/New Jersey and then home, costing £1,300. Add £526 if you buy the cheapest match tickets.
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If you want to participate in the entire tournament, it will cost much more. If they were to win Group L, England would have to travel from Atalanta to Mexico City and then Miami. These two flights alone cost £800.
Flights through the tournament can cost £2,600. Add to that the cheapest match tickets and it comes out to £7,800.
What about Scotland fans traveling from Glasgow? Group stage flights will cost £1,675 each, with the lowest ticket price being £500.
If Scotland had won Group C, the cost of a ticket to the final would have been £2,357. With tickets it's £7,567.
These are the prices today. Many fans would be reluctant to book tickets for playoff games before they knew they had to travel. By then it could cost a lot more.
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What England and Scotland fans are saying
Paul Clegg (61) from Blackburn says: “This will be my fifth world championship. I haven't missed a game since 2014.
“I talk to England fans all over the country. I'm the best player.
“We are all planning to boycott the games after the group stage.
“Football is dead.”
Anne-Marie Carr (54) from York says: “I diligently attended England matches to earn caps and tickets to major tournaments, but then I found myself, like so many others, being devalued.
“World Cup 26 will be for the few: the sponsors and glory hunters who have the money to attend the big matches when they happen.”
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Katie from Glasgow says: “Buy a ticket, you’ve got to be kidding me!”
“These prices are not for real fans, they are for corporations, influencers, sponsors. True fans can't afford such glorified prices.”
Ian from Glenrothes says: “I don’t know why anyone is surprised.
“One of the reasons I won't go, even though I'd love to see my country at the World Cup, is because there are too many practical things that rule that out.
“The greed of airlines and hotels, and now ticket prices.
“Not for me!”
Ticket prices soar after acceptance of tender document
Every country wanting to host the World Cup must make its case, from stadiums to sustainability to ticket prices.
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The world has changed a lot since the US, Mexico and Canada introduced their plan in 2017.
Covid has created a large inflationary burden around the world. But not that much.
To be fair, ticket prices for the group stage are not much higher. For games like Scotland v Haiti ($180), the cheapest ticket prices match the $174 listed.
It is for the quarter-finals, semi-finals and finals that FIFA has significantly increased prices.
The third category for the final was offered at $695 (£520). Adjusted for inflation, it would cost $890 (£666). However, FIFA now charges $4,185 (£3,119).
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How do World Cup ticket prices compare to other major events in the United States?
The biggest sporting event of the year in the United States is the Super Bowl, the NFL season finale.
Super Bowl tickets are not sold to the general public, but they can be purchased on official resale sites.
According to in Forbes, Ticket prices for the 2025 Super Bowl start from £3,500-£5,000 each.
NBA finals in basketball are not rated as highly. Last year, Oklahoma City Thunder tickets started at £52 in the top tier of their Paycom Center home when they won their first NBA championship.
Sports aside, tickets for next year's WWE Wrestlemania in Las Vegas can be purchased for between £250 and £1,000.
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While musician Taylor Swift's hugely successful Eras Tour tickets at US venues typically cost between £37 and £335 a pop, tickets have fetched well over £1,000 on the secondary market.
