Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has called on FIFA to immediately suspend sales of national team ticket allocations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, accusing world football’s governing body of imposing “extortionate” prices that risk pricing loyal supporters out of the tournament.
The appeal from the European fan umbrella organisation focuses on tickets allocated to Participating Member Associations (PMAs), which are traditionally distributed by national football associations through official supporters’ groups or loyalty programmes to reward their most dedicated fans.
In a statement, FSE said ticket prices under the PMA allocation have reached “astronomical” levels, with fans expected to pay a minimum of US$6,900 to follow their national team through the tournament — nearly five times more than comparable tickets at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The group also criticised FIFA for requiring supporters to pay the full amount in early 2026 to secure the right to purchase tickets through to the final, describing the practice as unfair and financially exclusionary.
“We call on FIFA to immediately halt PMA ticket sales, engage in meaningful consultation with all impacted parties, and review ticket prices and category distribution until a solution is found that respects the tradition, universality and cultural significance of the World Cup,” FSE said.
FSE further expressed dismay that Category 4 tickets — traditionally the most affordable option — will not be made available to dedicated national team supporters via their associations. Instead, FIFA has reserved these highly sought-after tickets for public sales, where prices will be subject to dynamic pricing.
The organisation accused tournament organisers of prioritising excessive revenue generation at the expense of fans.
“This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the vital contribution of supporters to the spectacle it represents,” FSE said. “For the first time in World Cup history, there will be no consistent pricing across all group-stage matches. Instead, FIFA is introducing variable pricing based on vague criteria such as the perceived attractiveness of a fixture.”
FSE said it was particularly shocked that supporters of different national teams would be charged different prices for the same ticket category at the same stage of the tournament.
Meanwhile, analysts estimate that a South African supporter could pay between R68,000 and R1.3 million for a single ticket to Bafana Bafana’s opening match against Mexico at the 2026 World Cup. These figures exclude additional costs such as travel and accommodation.
