 "FIFA is facing fresh criticism after the latest round of ticket sales turned chaotic. Reuters")
FIFA is receiving backlash once again as the prices for tickets for the upcoming World Cup have been raised further in the latest sales window that opened on Wednesday. Fans are also criticising FIFA for a sales process that has now turned chaotic amid high charges and high demand.
The 2026 World Cup takes place across the United States, Mexico and Canada in June-July with the tournament expanded to 48 teams for the first time in its history. Tickets were up for sale on Wednesday but with even higher prices. While the prices touched sky, fans were also left fuming over the sales process which forced many on social media to voice out their displeasure.
World Cup ticketing drama continues
The biggest-ever World Cup also came with the highest-ever price tag for tickets. FIFA is likely to break the 1994 record of 3.5 million tickets sold, which is the highest ever for a World Cup. However, due to the ‘dynamic pricing’ system adopted for the tournament, the ticket prices fluctuate depending on demand. The latest round of ticket sales also saw steep hikes.
The most expensive “Category 1” tickets for the final will now cost over Rs 10 lakhs ($10990). The same tickets were priced at $8700 during the last round of sales.
Other tickets, especially for games involving Brazil, Argentina, England, Germany and co-host Mexico, also witnessed price rise. The hikes were smaller for the group games but increased substantially for the later rounds.
FIFA has faced a lot of criticism for the heavy pricing for this event. In fact, the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) group also filed a complaint against FIFA over high prices of tickets at the World Cup.
The global body had issued $60 tickets after backlash that were reserved exclusively for official supporters’ clubs. However, the ticketing process too has now been marred with controversy.
Fans left frustrated with ticket sales process
The latest sales window further increased the fury of fans against FIFA as many of them faced serious trouble in the ticketing process.
Millions queued up online for lottery-style draws or first-come, first-served ticket windows, only to encounter technical glitches, sudden price fluctuations, and limited availability in affordable categories.
According to ESPN, some fans were redirected to wrong queues when they clicked on the ticket link who clicked on what FIFA termed as the “last-minute sales phase” link.
Fans absolutely blasted the football governing body for the process. Here are some of the reactions from frustrated fans.
FIFA World Cup 2026 begins June 11 with the final taking place on July 19.