FIFA launches US$60 ticket tier amid criticism of 2026 World Cup pricing

FIFA introduced on Tuesday (Dec 16) a small number of US$60 "Supporter Entry Tier" tickets, aiming to make next year's World Cup more affordable for fans of qualified teams.

Football's governing body said that the discounted tickets would cover all 104 matches of the tournament, including the final.

The cheaper tickets will make up 10 per cent of Participating Member Associations' (PMAs) allocations. 

The PMAs, which represent competing national teams and manage dedicated fan ticket programmes, will handle the ticket allocation process.

They will also define their own criteria to prioritise tickets for "loyal fans" closely connected to their national teams.

"In total, half of each PMA's ticket allocation will fall within the most affordable categories: 40 per cent under the Supporter Value Tier and 10 per cent under the new Supporter Entry Tier," FIFA said in a statement.

"The remaining allocation will be split evenly between the Supporter Standard Tier and the Supporter Premier Tier," it added.

Fans who apply through PMA ticketing programmes and whose teams fail to progress to the knockout stage will have administrative fees waived for refund requests.

The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of ticket pricing ahead of the 2026 tournament, set to take place from Jun 11 to Jul 19 across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

Last week, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) accused FIFA of imposing "extortionate" ticket prices that could prevent average fans from attending the event.

FSE director Ronan Evain told Reuters on Tuesday that while the new pricing was a step in the right direction, it was "clearly not sufficient".

He noted that following a team to the final would cost US$480 under category four, but jumps to US$6,900 for