Football’s world governing body has revealed a change to its 2026 World Cup ticket plans, unveiling a new £45 option designed to give more fans the chance to attend matches.
The new pricing tier, officially called the Supporter Entry Tier, will be available for all 104 matches at next summer’s tournament including the final after widespread criticism of the initial ticket costs, which many fans and supporter groups described as excessively high.
Under the new system, 10% of each national team’s ticket allocation will be priced at £45. These tickets are aimed at dedicated supporters and will be handed out by each country’s football association, which will decide who qualifies and how the tickets are allocated.
FIFA says the move is in response to fan feedback and aimed at giving more genuine supporters a chance to experience the World Cup in person, particularly as demand has far outstripped supply in the current sales phase, with millions of requests submitted so far.
Despite the new tier, the number of £45 tickets available per match will be relatively limited. With each team only receiving a small portion of a stadium’s capacity in official allocations, the lower-priced seats are expected to be in the hundreds per match, rather than the thousands.
The decision comes after vocal pushback from fan groups and national associations, who argued that many of the originally proposed prices particularly for later-stage games were putting the World Cup out of reach for average supporters. Prior to the concession, the cheapest tickets for some fixtures were set significantly higher than at the previous tournament, sparking debate over the accessibility of the sport’s showpiece event.
While the new £45 category has been welcomed as a step towards wider affordability, critics say more needs to be done to ensure matchday experiences remain open to a broad cross-section of fans. Supporters’ organisations continue to call for greater transparency and fairness in how tickets are priced and distributed.
As the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico draws nearer, national associations are now preparing to share details of how fans can apply for the new affordable tickets with anticipation and demand showing no sign of easing.
