Eye-Watering Prices of Cheapest 2026 World Cup Final Tickets Inspires Attack on FIFA
Fans hoping to secure a seat at the 2026 World Cup final through their national soccers associations will reportedly have to pay more than £3,000 ($4,028) for the privilege, inspiring calls for FIFA to suspend all ticket sales immediately.
World soccer’s organizing body have come under increased scrutiny for their ticketing strategy heading into next summer’s World Cup. FIFA were cast in the role of “scalpers” by fan groups for their extortionate resale platform, while the concept of dynamic pricing, where fees are adjusted in real time to match demand, has been widely derided.
For the majority of fans who lose out in FIFA’s fierce ballot battles, they can apply for tickets directly through their national association. BBC Sport have learned that the cheapest available seat for the showpiece event in East Rutherford on July 19, 2026, will still cost £3,119.
This represents an increase of almost seven times the sums quoted to fans at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
World Cup Final Ticket Price Explosion
Fan Pricing Tier | 2022 World Cup Final | 2026 World Cup Final |
|---|---|---|
Value | £450 | £3,119 |
Standard | £747 | £4,162 |
Premium | £1,197 | £6,615 |
As eye-watering as these prices are, skipping the chance to get in early would be even more expensive. If fans are thinking of swerving their association’s offers in favor of controversial FIFA’s resale market, they may want to reconsider.
As the third tranche of ticket sales opened in on Dec. 11, the lowest price available for one ticket to the World Cup final was listed at upwards of £6,500—more than double the cheapest available via the FA.
FIFA Accused of Breaking Promises Over ’Extortionate’ Prices
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) were so sickened by the “extortionate” prices that they called for sales to be “immediately halted” and demanded “a consultation with all impacted parties, and review ticket prices and category distribution until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found.”
FSE pointed out that fans buying tickets through their associations will have to pay for every round of fixtures at once when they become available at the turn of the year, months before the tournament kicks off in June, but do not have the option of purchasing any seats in the cheapest ’category four’ section.
“Adding insult to injury, the lowest price category will not be available to the most dedicated supporters through their national associations, as FIFA chose to reserve the scarce number of category four tickets to the general sales, subject to dynamic ticket pricing,” a statement read.
FREE NEWSLETTER. New SI FC Newsletter Global Embed. Sign Up to Get Informed With SI FC. dark
"For the first time in World Cup history, no consistent price will be offered across all group stage games. Instead, FIFA is introducing a variable pricing policy dependent on vague criteria such as the perceived attractiveness of the fixture.
“Fans of different national teams will therefore have to pay different prices for the same category at the same stage of the tournament, without any transparency on the pricing structure enforced by FIFA.
"The bid document released in 2018 promised tickets priced as low as $21. Where are these tickets now? The full way to the final, according to the same bid book, was supposed to cost $2,242 in the cheapest category. This promise is long gone.”
READ THE LATEST WORLD CUP NEWS, PREVIEWS & ANALYSIS HERE
feed