FIFA reopens World Cup ticket sales amid pricing controversy

Football body releases additional tickets for all 104 matches as fan complaints mount over new premium categories and dynamic pricing.

FIFA reopened ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday, offering seats for all 104 matches across Categories 1, 2 and 3, along with newly introduced "front category" premium tiers that have drawn criticism from supporters¹³.

The sales phase began at 15:00 GMT with tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis, 50 days before the tournament opens on 11 June across the United States, Mexico and Canada²³. FIFA reported that more than five million tickets have been sold from an expected total of just over six million².

The addition of front-row seat categories this month prompted online complaints from fans who said they believed better seats in their purchased categories had been withheld and they had been assigned less favourable locations¹. Ticket prices range from $140 for Category 3 first-round matches to $10,990 for the final, after FIFA raised maximum prices from the $8,680 announced in December¹.

A group of United States lawmakers called on FIFA last month to lower costs, saying the use of dynamic pricing has turned the World Cup into "an exclusionary enterprise at the expense of fans"². FIFA stated it is using variable pricing, where ticket costs may be adjusted based on demand and availability reviews, rather than dynamic pricing which automatically modifies prices².

The organisation introduced a limited number of $60 "Supporter Entry Tier" tickets in December, intended to comprise 10 per cent of qualified teams' allocations². FIFA did not respond to a 9 April request for comment about the new ticket categories¹. The Athletic reported on Tuesday that ticket sales are lagging for the US opener against Paraguay on 12 June at Inglewood, California¹.