Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on football's world governing body to take further action, after Fifa's announcement of a limited number of cheaper World Cup tickets failed to quell a growing storm over extortionate pricing.
A Limited Concession Amidst Outcry
The controversy erupted last week when supporters discovered the staggering costs of following their teams. The cheapest tickets for the final were priced at over £3,000, while England fans looking to travel from the first match to a potential final faced a minimum outlay of over £5,000.
Following urgent meetings in Doha with national federations, including the Football Association (FA), which had expressed serious concerns, Fifa responded. The body announced that 10 percent of the participant member association (PMA) allocation for each match would be priced at $60 (approximately £45). This applies even to tickets for the final.
Fan Groups Brand Move a 'PR Game'
However, the gesture has been met with derision from supporter organisations. The Football Supporters' Association's Fans' Embassy for England fans accused Fifa of "playing PR games" and demanded prices be set at a reasonable level for all.
In a statement on X, they argued: "Fifa have a track record of announcing 'affordable' headline prices that, in reality, aren't available to the vast majority of fans. This seems to be a new version of that with the intention of relieving pressure on Fifa without fixing things for the majority of supporters."
Similarly, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) labelled the revisions insufficient, particularly noting the absence of a clear pricing structure for disabled fans or complementary companion tickets. They viewed the announcement as "nothing more than an appeasement tactic due to the global negative backlash."
Starmer's Personal Appeal and the Scale of the Problem
Adding his voice to the criticism, Prime Minister Keir Starmer made a personal appeal on social media. "I welcome Fifa's announcement of some lower priced supporters tickets," he stated. "But as someone who used to save up for England tickets, I encourage Fifa to do more to make tickets more affordable so that the World Cup doesn't lose touch with the genuine supporters who make the game so special."
The practical impact of the concession is limited by the PMA allocation itself, which equates to just eight percent of stadium capacity per country per match. For England's opening match against Croatia, the FA received just over 4,000 tickets. This means only around 400 fans could access the new £45 tickets, with a further 40 percent able to buy the next cheapest at £198. For the final, roughly 450 of 4,500 allocated tickets would be available at the lowest price.
A Fifa official defended the move, citing unprecedented demand of over 20 million ticket requests and the unique commercial market of the host nation, the USA. They stated that making $60 tickets available to loyal travelling fans was "unanimously agreed" and stressed that all 211 member associations would benefit from a commercially successful tournament.
The Football Association has been approached for comment on the ongoing dispute.
