FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the exorbitant cost of World Cup tickets, described by fan groups as ‘scandalous’.
Tickets to group games in next year’s tournament hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico are three times more expensive than in the previous World Cup.
The cheapest seats at the final will cost £3,129 and there has been a huge backlash from supporters.
‘We have six to seven million tickets on sale and in 15 days we received 150 million ticket requests,’ argued Infantino at the World Sports Summit in Dubai on Monday.
‘So 10 million ticket requests every single day. It shows how powerful the World Cup is.
‘In the almost 100 years of the World Cup, FIFA has sold 44 million tickets in total. So, in two weeks we could have filled 300 years of World Cups. Imagine that. This is absolutely crazy.’
Gianni Infantino, pictured at the World Sports Summit, defended FIFA’s ticket prices
He also said that the profits would be pumped back into football, adding: ‘What’s crucial is that the revenues that are generated from this are going back to the game all over the world.
‘Without FIFA there would be no football in 150 countries in the world. There is football because, and thanks to, these revenues we generate with, and from, the World Cup which we reinvest all over the world.’
After the enormous backlash from fans at the pricing, FIFA did guarantee a small selection of tickets would be available at a reduced cost of £45, thought to be around 10 per cent of the overall allocation handed to each nation taking part.
In England’s case, the tickets – which will be available for all games – will go to members of the official supporters’ club.
While the figure is relatively small, the move represents a significant victory for campaigners and fans.
A FIFA spokesperson said: ‘Fans of the national teams that have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 will benefit from a dedicated ticket pricing tier, which has been designed to make following their teams on football’s greatest stage more affordable.
‘The newly introduced Supporter Entry Tier will be available at the fixed price of USD 60 per ticket for each of the 104 matches, including the final.’
England have been handed an allocation of eight per cent of capacity at each game. That means for the opener against Croatia in Dallas, they will be given 4,000 in total with 400 available at £45.
However, there are more than 600 ‘top cappers’, the highest tier in the group, so FA bosses will have to decide how to distribute them. A ballot is thought to be most likely.
The Football Supporters’ Association previous branded the initial price categorisation ‘laughable’ and ‘scandalous’. ‘Loyalty has been thrown out of the window and supporters of the participating nations have been completely let down’, they added.
Football Supporters’ Europe went further, saying they were ‘astonished by the extortionate ticket prices imposed by FIFA on the most dedicated supporters for next year’s FIFA World Cup’.
A spokesperson added: ‘This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is.’
