Angry fans in revolt as they cannot afford to follow Thomas Tuchel’s men to the United States as FIFA greed leads to huge prices in USA
England fans have been counting the real cost of the World Cup after accusing FIFA of pricing them out of next summer. One loyal fan has budgeted a trip for two next summer at an eye-watering £50,000 for tickets, hotels and flights.
And it is seeing England fans turn their back on their tournament in their droves because of the sky-high costs. One WhatsApp group of eight regular England fans who have not missed a single qualifier in this campaign has seen six already say they simply cannot afford to go which is a familiar story. They all went to Qatar in 2022 but only two of them are likely to go to the United States.
The cheapest ticket for the World Cup final is a staggering £3,120 and it will cost at least £200 to watch England’s opener with Croatia in Dallas next June. But the overall cost is the real killer blow for fans with FIFA sending out an online link today for members of the England Supporters’ Travel Club.
READ MORE: England fan gives the astonishing cost of taking his family to the World Cup
Loyal England fan Garford Beck is one of the Club’s 700-plus “top cappers” and has not missed a game for years but says even going to the United States on a strict budget will cost him over £12,000.
Derby fan Beck, 63, said: “That is doing it on an incredibly tight budget and in a big group of us where we might hire a mini bus, I’ve got a niece so I might be able to stay with her and doing budget hotels.
“But one of my friends has budgeted for £50,000 and he’s thinking he won’t bother at all now. That is just ridiculous.
“The best World Cup for me – believe it or not – was in Qatar because we were in one place, we had a lovely villa which slept ten and the entire budget came in at under £5,000.
“Now it is coming in close to three times that amount and for many fans it is completely out of reach. I’m hearing so many stories about fans not going because they can’t afford it but they also don’t want to give their money to FIFA.
“It’s madness. It’s not fair. And it will also be really bad for the tournament if there are no genuine fans in the stadiums. We are the ones which make the atmosphere.”
Beck cannot remember the last England game he missed and even managed to get to England’s 1-1 draw in Poland in September 2021 during Covid times. But the United States could be a journey too far for many next summer.
He added: “I’m guaranteed tickets and I love following England. But FIFA don’t really want true fans like me going. Even in Covid, we got in to Poland because ten of us bought a hospitality table from the Polish FA. They thought it was hilarious. But we go everywhere.
“A few people found it expensive in South Africa and bought tickets for the knock-out rather than the Group games because we thought we’d do well under Fabio Capello.
“Now we are left wondering the same. It’s hard for people to do it all. Especially when there is likely to be a couple of friendly games in Florida which fans will want to go to.”
England fans in the Supporters’ Travel Club can buy tickets all the way to the final and return them if Tuchel’s men go out early. But even the returns will be subject to a charge. The Football Association are going to raise fans’ concerns with FIFA who have been widely criticised for the pricing structure.
Football’s world governing body promised to “ring fence” prices for genuine fans but the likes of England, Spain and Portugal are hugely sought after which has seen seats for their best games go up in value.
Ticket prices for sport and concert events in the United States are much higher than in the United Kingdom and there has been a big demand for World Cup tickets already. But England fans they will not even be able to make the trip – let alone watch their team.
Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Sky Sports discounted Premier League and EFL package
£43
£35
Sky
Get the deal here
Sky has slashed the price of its Essential TV and Sky Sports bundle ahead of the 2025/26 season, saving members £192 and offering more than 1,400 live matches across the Premier League, EFL and more.
Sky will show at least 215 live Premier League games next season, an increase of up to 100 more.
