England fans hit out at ‘unacceptable’ World Cup ticket prices in Mirror probe

Fifa’s own resale site had a final ticket being sold for $17,900 to $50,000, or £13,423 to £37,279, with the site also offering normal seating and corporate hospitality

Fans groups hit out at the World Cup ticket prices as a Mirror probe revealed seats being sold for up to £37,279 on Fifa’s own website. Secondary sales sites are also offering tickets for the USA’s opening game at hugely inflated prices.

Fifa’s own resale site had a final ticket on offer for $17,900 to $50,000, or £13,423 to £37,279. The site offers normal seating as well as the corporate hospitality before the draw is made for the games in host nations USA, Canada and Mexico. One LA-based England fan warned the prices would be even higher than in Qatar.

They told the Mirror: “The World Cup will be like other big sporting events in America, for high rollers only.

“It will be like the Superbowl and the baseball world series. Fifa needs to act on that now to make sure it does not happen. Otherwise there will be half empty stadiums.”

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He added: “I know one fan who ended up paying 2,000 dollars for four tickets on Fifa’s own website. Yet US-based England fans who went to Qatar, supposed to be the most expensive World Cup ever, got tickets for 50 dollars each.

“We live here and cannot afford to go. Imagine what it is like when you have the hotel and travel costs on top. It is not Roy Keane’s so-called prawn cocktail high rollers – this is the caviar brigade.

“People are already talking about boycotting it and watching it in fan zones and bars instead. We will have all the Argentina fans camping out on Venice Beach and Santa Monica.

“We are nine months from the tournament and the prices are extortionate.” The opponent for the USA’s first game has yet to be confirmed prior to the world cup draw.

But the match on June 12 next year sees tickets ranging from $2,998 (£2,223) to $8,859 (£6,600) for sale on secondary site StubHub.

Fans wanting to watch next year’s World Cup final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey will be paying up to £4,720 for a general admission ticket from official suppliers.

The cheapest £44 tickets are only available for group stage matches and may be limited in number. Prices vary depending on whether a host nation, namely the USA, Canada and Mexico, are in action and also by location.

Group stage tickets start at £44 but go all the way up to $2,735, around £2,000, for the most expensive ticket for the USA’s opener in Los Angeles.

For games not involving a host nation, the most expensive group stage tickets come in LA, San Francisco and New Jersey.

A category one ticket for those games will cost $620, around £460. Prices remain pretty consistent in the last 32 and last 16.

They rise from the quarter-final stage onwards. For the final itself, category four tickets will start at $2,030, around £1,500.

It means England fans travelling Stateside will be at the behest of the draw as to how much they will pay for tickets.

Thomas Concannon, who leads the FSA’s England Fans’ Embassy, said: “These prices are astonishing.

“It costs $2,000 for the cheapest final ticket; it is unacceptable. If fans are successful in obtaining a category four ticket from the first game to the last, that could set them back $3,180.

“That is more than double what Qatar cost. Combined with travel to the Americas and accommodation, this will be the most expensive World Cup for matchgoing fans we’ve ever seen by some distance.”

He added: “A healthy allocation of the lowest category of tickets should be made available to nations that are not affected by host city location or dynamic pricing.

“Additionally, participating nation tickets should be located in key areas directly behind the goals to provide the best possible backing to their teams.

“We’d urge the FA to work with other nations around the world to put pressure on FIFA to keep this World Cup financially accessible for matchgoing fans.”

StubHub stressed that as a resale marketplace, they do not set ticket prices. “Prices are set by sellers and fans ultimately decide the ticket value that meets their budget,” said a spokesperson.

“What we’re seeing around the World Cup reflects how FIFA is releasing their tickets, where primary ticket prices have already increased under FIFA’s own dynamic pricing model and FIFA allows resale listings at virtually unlimited prices on its own resale platform. “Restricting fans to a single platform limits transparency and fan choice, creating the very price distortions that frustrate fans.

“StubHub believes in an open and competitive ticket marketplace where consumers get real choice and access.”

Allocation of tickets and resale prices on the site vary “depending on match popularity, venue, and timing”.

Nearly 40% of concert tickets in the U.S. for 2024 had an average price sold for under $50 on StubHub and nearly 80% had an average price sold for under $100.

FIFA said they had launched a ‘secure, official resale platform’ for eligible tickets on Oct 2. Further details on tickets are due to be released after the final draw for the World Cup groups on Dec 5, when teams will know which cities they are playing in.

A spokesperson said: “This initiative aims to safeguard fans against invalid or unauthorised resale and is available to fans subject to federal and local regulations. Mexican residents will have access to a FIFA Ticket Exchange Platform.

“Subsequent ticket sales phases will begin in October, with the Early Ticket Draw entry period opening on October 27.”

*Further details on ticketing timelines and products are available at FIFA.com/tickets.

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