FA urged to lobby FIFA over 'scandalous' ticket prices
What's the story
The Football Supporters's Association (FSA) has urged the Football Association (FA) to lobby FIFA for a reduction in World Cup ticket prices. The call comes after the FSA and Football Supporters Europe (FSE) deemed the pricing structure for next year's tournament in the US, Canada, and Mexico as "scandalous." The organizations are demanding a halt in sales so they can negotiate with FIFA over its pricing policy.
Pricing protest
FSA urges national associations to challenge FIFA's pricing
The FSA has backed the FSE's call for a ticket sale halt and urged all national associations to stand up for their supporters. The move comes after FIFA revealed allocation details for official supporters' groups of each country, showing a massive increase in ticket prices compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. For group stage fixtures next year, tickets cost between £198 and £523, a significant jump from fixed prices of £68.50, £164.50 or £219 in Qatar.
Price criticism
FSA criticizes FIFA's pricing structure
The FSA has slammed the cheapest tickets in the 'supporter value' category as "a laughable insult to your average fan." They have also expressed concerns that loyal fans may be missing from the US, Mexico, and Canada due to these "unaffordable" prices. The association further criticized FIFA for prioritizing money over fan loyalty and accessibility to football events.
Cost breakdown
FSA estimates total cost for supporters
As per BBC Sport, the FSA has estimated that a supporter would have to spend around £5,225 to follow their team till the final if they attended all eight matches in the cheapest ticket category. This amount increases to approximately £8,850 in the mid-price range or £12,357 for top-tier tickets. In comparison, it would have cost between £1,466 and £3,914 in 2022 for seven games instead of eight.
FA's stance
FA to relay concerns to FIFA
The FA is aware of the anger among England fans over these ticket prices and will be relaying those concerns to FIFA. However, despite the pressure, FIFA has remained silent on its ticket price policies. The governing body is reportedly waiting for the ballot entries before deciding its next course of action regarding this issue.
FIFA
FIFA accused of 'betrayal' over 2026 World Cup ticket prices
FIFA has faced backlash from Football Supporters Europe, a prominent European soccer fans' group, over its ticket pricing strategy for the upcoming 2026 World Cup. The group has described FIFA's decision as a "monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup." They have called on FIFA to "immediately halt" ticket sales for Participating Member Associations (PMAs), which are responsible for selling tickets to their traveling supporters.