World Cup tickets are reaching eye-watering prices, with one seat resold for over €163,000. Fans are asking the EU to step in.
AI Brief
Soaring World Cup ticket prices have pushed European fans to file a complaint against FIFA.
"The cheapest openly available final tickets now start at $4,185," the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) group said. That's around €3,400 — and "more than seven times the cost of the cheapest 2022 World Cup final ticket," the group said in statement.
FSE filed the complaint with the European Commission, accusing FIFA of "excessive ticket prices" and "unfair purchasing conditions" and calling it an "abuse of its monopoly position."
"They leave loyal fans with no other choice — pay up or lose out," FSE's executive director said.
€163,000 for a single seat
As of Tuesday, resale sites like Viagogo and SeatPick listed single final-match seats for as much as €163,000 (about $190,000)
In Mexico — one of the World Cup's three co-hosts — reselling tickets above face value is prohibited, but only for those purchased domestically in local currency. In the United States and Canada, by contrast, resale markets remain largely unregulated.
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest yet, featuring 48 teams, instead of 32, playing in three countriesImage: JAVIER SORIANO/AFP/Getty Images
Gianni Infantino, FIFA's president, defended the high prices as a reflection of the high demand.
"In the US in particular, there is this thing called dynamic pricing, meaning the prices will go up or down" depending on the match, he said.
FSE, however, argues that "dynamic pricing" lacks safeguards, with no cap on how high prices can rise.
Cheap tickets were 'so scarce'
At the end of last year, FIFA introduced $60 (€52) tickets, making up 10% of each qualifying team's allocation. National associations manage distribution, prioritizing loyal supporters through their own rules.
"In practice, [the $60 tickets] were so scarce that the entire Category 4 inventory was practically sold out before general public sales opened," FSE said.
Beyond the six-figure cost of a final ticket, FSE said FIFA's bid documents projected an average ticket price of about $1,400 per seat — but "that number has been left far behind," the group said. EU called to step in
Lobby group Euroconsumers, which filed the complaint jointly with FSE, demanded action from the European Union.
"We are calling on the European Commission to intervene immediately with interim measures to halt these exploitative practices before the 2026 tournament begins."
FSE and Euroconsumers said FIFA's sales tactics create 'artificial urgency,' pressuring fans into rushed purchasesImage: Joel Marklund/Bildbyran/IMAGO
The European Commission confirmed it has received the complaint and will assess it under standard procedures.
Although the World Cup takes place in North America, the Commission can intervene because FIFA's ticketing practices affect European consumers. No deadline has been set for the review.
Largest World Cup ever
The tournament is set to begin June 11 and will be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams instead of 32. Fans will be buying tickets for a total of 104 matches.
Despite the high prices, demand remains strong: FIFA said the latest sales phase saw more than half a billion ticket requests for this year's expanded tournament.
Editor: Sean Sinico