FIFA has come under fire from football fans after announcing another round of 'last-minute ticket sales' for the World Cup. This summer's tournament in North America is set to be the costliest World Cup ever for supporters, who have been hit in the pocket at every turn.
From the price of public transport being quadrupled on matchdays to dynamic pricing being used for tickets, the host nations and FIFA president Gianni Infantino are receiving no plaudits for their operations so far. The backlash has continued after FIFA confirmed that on Wednesday, a 'new ticket inventory' will go on sale to the general public.
Fans have been left baffled, as football's world governing body had already announced the 'fourth and final ticket sales phase' in March. FIFA said at the time that it was 'offering fans a final pathway to be part of history'.
From Wednesday, supporters will be able to purchase tickets for all 104 matches, if they can afford them. During the last round of sales, the average price of a game involving a top-10 seeded country such as England was £271.
The cost of tickets has led to concerns that large parts of stadiums will be empty for games involving lower-ranked nations and even the co-hosts. A new report from The Athletic states that for the USA's opening game against Paraguay, the SoFi Stadium in California has only sold 40,934 tickets compared to its capacity of 69,650.
In response to this week's announcement, fans have voiced their dismay. One user wrote on X: 'Interesting…. I thought you already had your last minute ticket sales phase. This tournament is going to SUCK.' Another disenfranchised fan wrote: 'The exorbitant pricing and the so-called ticket release methods have completely lost my interest in this tournament. I'll enjoy my money elsewhere and will watch the stream at home.'
A third added: 'This is the worst build up to a World Cup ever. Ticket drops? Come man just sell the tickets at a reasonable price. At this point I hope the stadiums are empty and you get embarrassed.'
With just 50 days to go until the tournament kicks off when co-hosts Mexico face South Africa, the discontent is only growing. FIFA insists that as a not-for-profit organisation, they will reinvest the ticket revenue and 'fuel the growth of men's, women's, and youth football throughout its 211 Member Associations'.
