Numerous national football associations have been hit by unexpectedly high costs when purchasing World Cup tickets for players' families and guests, with FIFA's dynamic pricing model driving up prices for many teams. After a six-week window following December's draw where tickets were available at fixed prices, requests from the end of January have been subject to what FIFA calls 'adaptive pricing', resulting in significant increases for most matches.
An executive from one association said they had requested hundreds of additional tickets in recent weeks and were taken aback by the size of the bill. Another executive claimed the average cost per ticket for players' families and guests had risen to around $3,000 (£2,200), putting a strain on tournament funding. However, FIFA sources insisted the average is far lower than that figure.
The price rises have surprised many associations, although FIFA maintains that the terms were clearly communicated. The English FA, for example, bought all its tickets in December and has not been affected. Concerns are growing that smaller countries with the lowest budgets will be worst hit. FIFA increased the minimum qualification and preparation money to $12.5m per association and provided an extra $16m shared among the 48 qualifiers for travel costs, but larger FAs still forecast losses.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino told the organisation's congress last month that there had been 500 million requests for tickets and that all available inventory had been sold. FIFA operates its own resale marketplace, where some tickets are cheaper than primary sale ones, but both buyer and seller pay a 15% commission. On the secondary market, prices have been falling for most matches.
The ticketing policy has drawn criticism, including from US President Donald Trump, who said 'I wouldn’t pay that' when asked about ticket prices for the USA's first game. FIFA defends the pricing as in line with other premium events in the US market, and Trump's World Cup taskforce head, Andrew Giuliani, said they do not believe in price controls.
