Football supporters have taken legal action against world football governing body FIFA over what they describe as excessive ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup.
The Football Supporters Europe (FSE) filed a lawsuit with the European Commission, accusing FIFA of abusing its monopoly over ticket sales and imposing unfair pricing and purchasing conditions on fans.
Working alongside the consumer group Euroconsumers, the supporters’ body argued that ticket prices for the tournament scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico were far higher than originally projected.
According to the complaint, the cheapest tickets for the 2026 World Cup final now start at $4,185 more than seven times the price of the cheapest final ticket at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
By comparison, the cheapest final tickets for UEFA Euro 2024 were priced at just 95 euros ($100).
The supporters’ group also noted that FIFA’s original bid documents projected an average ticket price of $1,408, but actual prices have far exceeded that estimate. FIFA has made nearly seven million tickets available for the tournament, with each person allowed to buy up to four tickets per match and a total of 40 tickets for the entire competition.
The 2026 tournament will be the first expanded World Cup featuring 48 teams and a total of 104 matches, which has contributed to increased demand and rising ticket prices, especially for high-profile matches.
The controversy has also been fueled by FIFA’s use of “dynamic pricing,” where ticket prices increase or decrease depending on demand. FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the pricing system, stating that price changes are driven by demand, particularly in the United States market.
However, Football Supporters Europe argued that the dynamic pricing system lacks transparency and has no price cap, allowing ticket prices to increase significantly between sales phases. In some cases, resale tickets for the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey were listed at extremely high prices, including a category three seat advertised for $143,750 over 41 times its original face value.
FIFA later introduced a limited number of cheaper tickets priced at $60 for group-stage matches, but these were reserved for fans of qualified teams and accounted for only a small portion of available tickets.
Many fans complained that these cheaper tickets were already sold out before general public sales began.
FIFA said it will release additional tickets from April through the end of the tournament on a first-come, first-served basis, while resale platforms including FIFA’s official resale site continue to allow fans to resell tickets at prices they determine themselves, contributing to the soaring costs.
