The Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission, accusing FIFA of imposing “excessive” ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup finals.
The complaint, submitted on Tuesday alongside Euroconsumers, alleges that FIFA is exploiting its monopoly on ticket sales, enforcing unfair and non-transparent conditions that disadvantage fans.
FSE stated, “FIFA holds exclusive control over 2026 World Cup ticket sales and has used that position to impose restrictions and prices that would not be allowed in a competitive market.”
The organisations emphasised that ticket costs for the North American finals are significantly higher than in previous tournaments. The cheapest publicly available tickets for the final now start at $4,185, more than seven times the lowest price for the 2022 Qatar final. In comparison, tickets for the UEFA Euro 2024 final are priced from just €95 ($100).
FSE also noted that FIFA had projected an average ticket price of $1,408 in its bid documents, yet actual prices have far exceeded that forecast.
They criticised the initial promise of tickets as low as $21, highlighting that some matches, including Austria vs Jordan at Levi’s Stadium, began at $60, with most high-profile games now costing at least $200.
FIFA has released nearly seven million tickets for the expanded 48-team tournament, scheduled from 11 June to 19 July across the US, Canada and Mexico. Fans are restricted to purchasing a maximum of four tickets per match and 40 tickets across the tournament.
FSE and Euroconsumers are urging the European Commission to investigate FIFA’s monopoly practices, arguing that the high prices and restrictive sales policies risk excluding European supporters from fair access to the World Cup.
