FIFA made an unexpected shift in its pricing strategy for the World Cup following a wave of global criticism. Soccer’s governing body announced a significant reduction in the cost of some tickets, allowing so-called “loyal” fans to access seats for US$60 — even for the final — instead of paying up to US$4,185, as initially planned.
The decision, announced on Tuesday, marks a rare climbdown for FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, who in recent months has faced sustained scrutiny over the tournament’s commercial focus, soaring ticket prices and his political proximity to U.S. President Donald Trump.
The new “Supporter Entry Tier”
According to FIFA, the US$60 tickets will be available for every match of the tournament to be held in North America. These tickets will not be sold directly to the public; instead, they will be allocated to the national federations of participating teams, which will decide how to distribute them among their most loyal supporters — fans who have followed their national teams both at home and away.
Each team will receive a limited number of tickets under this new category, called the “Supporter Entry Tier,” with an estimated range of 400 to 750 tickets per match, per team.
The World Cup will be played across 16 host cities, including 11 NFL stadiums in the United States, as well as two venues in Canada and three in Mexico. It will be the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 national teams, a significant increase from the traditional 32.
A response to pressure… not consultation
While FIFA did not explicitly explain what prompted the strategic shift, it said the lower prices are “designed to further support traveling fans following their national teams across the tournament.”
Fan groups, however, see the move differently. Football Supporters Europe (FSE), an organization representing grassroots fan groups, described the measure as an “appeasement tactic” in response to global backlash.
In a statement, the group said the change shows that FIFA’s ticketing policy “was not set in stone, was rushed, and decided without proper consultation with fans.”
For FSE, the core issue remains unresolved: even with this announcement, the vast majority of supporters will still face prices far higher than at any previous World Cup.
A record-breaking World Cup… also in costs
The 2026 World Cup will not only be the largest in terms of participating teams, but it is also projected to be FIFA’s most lucrative tournament ever. The organization expects to generate at least US$10 billion in revenue, while acknowledging it will be the most expensive World Cup in history for fans.
Despite the controversy, FIFA said it has already received more than 20 million ticket requests in its most recent sales phase — a figure that underscores global demand, but also highlights the growing imbalance between interest, access and affordability.
Access cannot be symbolic
While the price reduction is a step in the right direction, the limited scope of the measure raises an unavoidable question: who is the World Cup really for? Where will the tickets allocated to each federation actually end up? And will they truly reach fans — or the resale market?
Offering between 400 and 750 affordable tickets per team in stadiums that hold tens of thousands of spectators turns inclusion into a symbolic gesture rather than a structural solution. Fan loyalty should not be rewarded with minimal quotas, but with a clear, transparent and sustainable ticketing policy that recognizes football as, above all, a people’s sport.
The risk for FIFA is not only reputational. Maintaining prices that most fans consider inaccessible could erode the relationship with the very base that sustains the game: the supporters who fill stadiums, travel, spend, and build football culture.
The World Cup can be a multibillion-dollar business and still be genuinely inclusive. The recent decision proves the model can be adjusted. The real question is whether FIFA is willing to do so in a meaningful way… or only when pressure becomes impossible to ignore.
