Football fans have taken a strong step against FIFA. A group has filed a case over ticket prices for the next World Cup.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) filed the lawsuit on Tuesday. The case went to the European Commission. The group says FIFA has set very high prices for the 2026 World Cup.
“Euroconsumers and Football Supporters Europe (FSE) have filed a formal complaint with the European Commission against FIFA, alleging that the football body has abused its monopoly position to impose excessive ticket prices and opaque and unfair purchasing conditions and processes on European fans ahead of the 2026 World Cup,” the FSE said in a statement.
The group also raised concern over how tickets are sold. “FIFA holds a monopoly over ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup and has used that power to impose conditions on fans that would never be acceptable in a competitive market,” the group added.
FSE said prices for the final have jumped a lot. The final will take place on July 19. “The cheapest openly available final tickets now start at $4,185 –- more than seven times the cost of the cheapest 2022 World Cup final ticket,” they said.
They also compared it with Euro 2024. The cheapest final ticket there cost 95 euros, around $100. “FIFA’s own bid documents projected an average ticket price of $1,408 but that number has been left far behind,” FSE added.
FIFA said nearly seven million tickets are available for the tournament. The event will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Each person can buy up to four tickets per match. One person can buy a total of 40 tickets for the full tournament.
This World Cup will be bigger than before. A total of 48 teams will take part. There will be 104 matches.
FSE said early plans promised very low prices. Tickets were expected to start from $21. But that has not happened.
The cheapest tickets so far have been around $60. One example is the Group J match between Austria and Jordan in California.
Most big matches cost much more. Tickets for top teams are often above $200. Prices for the final have gone even higher in resale.
One ticket for the final at MetLife Stadium was listed at $143,750. Its original price was $3,450.
