FIFA cave over World Cup ticket costs as England followers study new price of event
England fans will be able to watch the Three Lions at next summer’s World Cup for £45 after FIFA caved on their ticket prices following fan fury
England supporters will be able watch the Three Lions at the World Cup for just £45 after FIFA caved in to fan fury over “extortionate” ticket prices.
Football’s governing body performed an astonishing u-turn over seat costs hours after we revealed fans were planning Wembley walkouts at England warm up matches in protest at ticket prices at the tournament in the US, Canada and Mexico.
Supporters livid at having to cough up at least £198 to seeThomas Tuchel’s team’s opening Group L clash against Croatia in Dallas on June 17 vowed to quit their seats in the 26th minute of upcoming friendlies against Uruguay and Japan in March.
They were fuming it would cost £5,225 to follow the team through to the final on the cheapest available tickets for all matches.The cheapest seat for the final was £3,200.
But after a global backlash FIFA announced a new category of cut-price seats available for all 104 matches at the tournament – including the final.
It announced 10% of each team’s official allocation for every match will be sold at a “supporter entry tier” price of $60 – just under £45.The FA will get 4,500 tickets for England’s opener across a range of pricing structures.
Around 500 of them will be at the new minimum price with 40% costing £198 and the rest in the two highest-price categories.A FIFA source said the move was a result of fan criticism over original ticket prices.
The new tickets will only be sold via national associations and not through FIFA’s website to ensure they go to ‘the most loyal fans’.A FIFA spokesman said: “Fans of the national teams that have qualified will benefit from a dedicated ticket pricing tier.
“This has been designed to make following their teams on football’s greatest stage more affordable. The newly introduced Supporter Entry Tier will be available at the fixed price of $60 per ticket for each of the 104 matches including the final.
“The entry tier tickets will be allocated specifically to supporters of qualified teams with the selection and distribution process managed individually by the Participating Member Associations.
“Each PMA will define its own eligibility criteria and application process. They are requested to ensure that these tickets are specifically allocated to loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams.
“In addition, fans applying through the PMA allocation whose teams do not advance to the knockout phase will have the administrative fee waived when refunds are processed for unsuccessful applications.”
The FA had raised its concerns over ticket prices with FIFAIt came after The Football Supporters’ Association called for ticket sales to be halted until prices were cut – branding FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino ‘beyond shameless’ in exploiting supporter loyalty for profit.
A Facebook page run by members of the England Supporters Travel Club called on fans to stage a mass walk out on the national team.
It would be the first time England has ever been the victim of a fan protest usually reserved for individual clubs amid allegations of miss-management.
The social media page called for a “home end walk out” from Wembley’s East Stand in the 26th minute of the matches against Uruguay on March 27 and Japan four days later.
The message read: “The FA and other European federations are silent on the extortionate ticket prices for the World Cup.“It is up to us as fans to do something. On the 26th minute of the March friendlies send a message to FIFA, the FA & everyone who will see the pictures from Wembley.
“A mass walk out from the home end leaving the whole East Stand empty for at least 75% of the game. It will get noticed and even other nations may join in. A message needs to be sent that the game is nothing without the fans. Get your caps & prove a point.”
Details of the planned protest were shared on X by 3lionspodcast which said: “As I said on the latest pod, there needs to be some action, over on the ESTC Facebook page, there is talk of a mass walk out to make our own FA see we’re not happy with #FIFAWorldCup2026 ticket prices.”
Other supporters suggested creating a protest song, putting up banners at every club match and a “chorus of boos” in the 26th minute at “every single game”. Ticket prices for England’s games were among the highest.
