The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, from June 11 to July 19, is promising to be an event of excess. However, behind the massive public enthusiasm lies a intense tension regarding the very high ticket prices.

World Record : 150 Million Ticket Requests

At the World Sports Summit in Dubai on Monday, December 29, 2025, FIFA President Gianni Infantino unveiled staggering figures. In just two weeks since ticket sales began (the random selection phase started on December 11), FIFA registered 150 million ticket requests (compared to the 20 million initially estimated on December 16) from more than 200 countries. An average of 10 million requests per day, 30 times greater than the available supply.

“This is the highest demand ever recorded for a World Cup," Infantino emphasized, specifying that this volume exceeds the total cumulative attendance of the 22 previous editions since 1930.

Ticket prices deemed "astronomical" : This 2026 World Cup was supposed to be the "most inclusive" competition ever organized, Gianni Infantino promised in September. But this promise has been seriously undermined. The publication of the price list on December 11th provoked the anger of supporters' associations. For the general public and unaffiliated fans, the costs are sky-high:

Ticket categories refer to the tickets available for purchase, designed to meet the diverse preferences and needs of supporters. Please note that some ticket categories may not be available during all sales phases depending on availability.

Category 1 : The most expensive seats, located primarily in the lower tiers;

Category 2 : Seats located outside of Category 1 zones, available in the lower tiers;

Category 3 : Seats located outside of zones 1 and 2, generally in the upper tiers;

Category 4 : The least expensive category, located in the upper tiers.

FIFA's Response : The $60 Ticket:

Faced with international outcry, FIFA announced on December 16 a measure to "preserve the popular aspect of the event" : a new Supporter Entry category.

Fans of the teams qualified for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will pay $60 (approximately €51) per match, FIFA announced. Tickets will be available for all 104 matches, including the World Cup final, which will bring together 48 teams next summer in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, FIFA stated in a press release.

However, this offer is limited, not to say minimalist... It should be noted that this new pricing category is integrated into the ticket allocation distributed by the Federations to the participating teams, each receiving 8% of the available tickets for each match. This new category, called the "entry-level ticket", represents 1.6% of this 8%. Given the capacity of most stadiums for the 2026 World Cup, this corresponds to just over 1,000 tickets per match available at US$60, divided equally between the supporters of both teams.

In its press release, FIFA indicated that, as with the 8% of tickets reserved for supporters, the distribution of these tickets will be managed by each member association of their Federation, specifying that national federations are "requested to ensure that these tickets are specifically allocated to loyal supporters who are close to their national team," without providing further details on the procedure.

BF/ HaitiLibre