Seeing the 2026 World Cup in person will be very expensive. Tickets for the first game currently range from about $140 to more than $2,700, while the cheapest seat for the final costs $4,185. Football supporters’ organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) estimates that fans from Europe will spend at least $6,900 to follow their team to the finals—almost five times the amount it spent on the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Those prices are also a far cry from the $21 seats promised by organizers in Canada, Mexico and the US in the 2018 bid document.
After facing backlash over these exorbitant costs, FIFA announced this week that it plans to release a small portion of the seats at $60, but those tickets will make up only 1.6 percent of the total. The move did nothing to appease frustrated fans. “It’s nothing more than an appeasement tactic,” FSE said in a post to X.
Still, it’s better than nothing. “We take it as a win, but a very symbolic one,” Ronan Evain, executive director of the FSE, told the Observer.
How will the $60 seats work?
The $60 tickets will be distributed through participating countries’ soccer associations and will be available for all 104 World Cup games next summer in Canada, Mexico and the US—including the final. Those associations, who were given 8 percent of all World Cup tickets, will set aside 10 percent of that share in the new, less expensive category.
Each country will decide how the discounted seats will be distributed to their most loyal fans. About half of the association is expected to rely on existing loyalty programs, where fans earn points for attending home and away games and supporting youth and women’s teams, Evain said. Others may distribute tickets through fan groups or lotteries.
FIFA, meanwhile, defended its prices by pointing to a flexible strategy that adjusts costs “based on the review of demand and availability for each game.” The governing body also said interest remains strong, noting that 20 million ticket requests have been submitted since the latest ticket draw opened on Dec. 11.
Accessible seats are not immune to price increases
Fans are also faced with the increase in the cost of accessible tickets for those with disabilities. World Cup tickets are generally divided into four price categories based on seating area. But so far, the accessible seats are limited to the first to third class. That effectively locks disabled fans out of the most affordable category—a reversal from previous tournaments, FSE said in a letter to FIFA on December 16.
The group also criticized FIFA’s decision to charge for accompanying tickets, noting that many disabled fans cannot attend matches alone. The most affordable options for a shared accessible ticket and a companion ticket in the group category are estimated to run between $280 and $900. In Qatar, by contrast, available tickets cost 10 euros (about $12) and include a free seat for a companion.
“This is a sign of an organization that has lost its mind,” said Evain, who has yet to receive an official response from FIFA about the available tickets. “I don’t know if it’s an oversight or pure evil, but it shouldn’t be there.”