Football fans have filed a formal complaint with the European Commission against FIFA World Cup ticket prices.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) said on Tuesday it has joined consumer group Euroconsumers in claiming that football’s world governing body has abused its position to impose excessive prices.
FSE accused FIFA in December of “monumental betrayal” in obtaining tickets were generally put on sale ranging from $140 for the cheapest group games to $8,680 for the finals. The cheapest tickets for the final were $4,185, but all prices are subject to change as FIFA uses dynamic pricing for the first time during the World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“FIFA has a monopoly on ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup and has used that power to impose conditions on fans that would never be acceptable in a competitive market,” FSE and Euroconsumers said in a joint statement.
After a fan backlash in December, FIFA has reduced some ticket prices up to $60 for each round through the finals, which teams could distribute to their most loyal fans. In addition to the exorbitant prices, FSE also alleged that FIFA used pressure-selling techniques and criticized the transparency of the process.
It has called for a freeze on prices during the next round of sales in April and an end to dynamic pricing when selling to fans in Europe.
“Dynamic pricing turns fan loyalty into a bidding war, drives up costs without adding value and locks out many supporters,” said Els Bruggeman, head of policy and enforcement at Euroconsumers.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in January that demand for tickets was the equivalent of “1000 years of World Cups in one go”. He said all 104 matches at the World Cup would be sold out, meaning “tickets are likely to be resold at even higher prices.”
FSE was also critical of FIFA’s official resale platform, where tickets are offered well above face value and the governing body receives a 30% cut on each sale.
“FIFA points to their unconfirmed sales figures as confirmation of their unfair ticketing practices, when the reality is that they leave loyal fans no choice: pay or lose,” said Ronan Evain, executive director of FSE.
FIFA told the Associated Press that it had not formally received the complaint. It added that as a non-profit organisation, World Cup revenues were reinvested to grow football.
