European football fans have filed a formal complaint against FIFA before the European Commission, alleging excessive pricing and unfair sales practices for tickets to the 2026 World Cup.
The complaint on Tuesday, 9lodged by Football Supporters Europe and Euroconsumers, accuses FIFA of abusing its monopoly over ticket sales to impose inflated prices and opaque purchasing conditions on fans.
In a statement, the groups said, “FIFA holds a monopoly over ticket sale and has used that power to impose conditions on fans that would never be acceptable in a competitive market.”
They highlighted sharp price increases compared to previous tournaments, noting that the cheapest tickets for the 2026 final now start at $4,185 more than seven times the lowest-priced ticket for the 2022 final in Qatar.
The groups also criticised FIFA’s use of dynamic pricing, which allows ticket costs to fluctuate based on demand without a clear cap.
According to them, some ticket prices increased by as much as 25 per cent between sales phases, leaving fans uncertain about final costs.
While FIFA maintains that pricing reflects strong demand, its president, Gianni Infantino, defended the system, saying prices may rise or fall depending on the match.
The 2026 tournament, to be hosted across the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first to feature 48 teams and 104 matches, significantly increasing ticket demand.
However, supporters argue that limited availability of lower-priced tickets and an unregulated resale market have pushed prices beyond the reach of many fans.
The FSE said the prices for the final were way above those for the 2022 final in Qatar.
“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.
By contrast, it said the cheapest UEFA Euro 2024 final tickets were 95 euros ($100).
“FIFA’s own bid documents projected an average ticket price of $1,408, but that number has been left far behind,” FSE added.
According to FIFA, almost seven million tickets have been made available.
Each person can buy a maximum of four tickets per match and a total of 40 for the whole competition.
There will be a total of 104 matches played at this expanded World Cup, the first ever to feature 48 teams, and ticket prices have soared for the most in-demand games.
FSE said the North American bid had initially promised tickets would be available from as little as $21, but instead the cheapest tickets to go on sale have been for $60, for example, for the Group J opener between Austria and Jordan at the Levi’s Stadium in California.
Most tickets cost at least $200 for matches involving leading nations.
Some tickets on offer for the final on FIFA’s official resale site are being offered at astronomical prices.
One category three seat for the game at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey was being advertised for an eye-watering $143,750, over 41 times its original face value of $3,450.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino insists ticket prices are simply a consequence of the huge 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 in question,” Infantino has said.
FSE said the problem with ‘dynamic pricing’ was that there was no limit to how high the prices can go.
