2026 World Cup: five million ticket applications in one day despite outrageous prices

The 2026 World Cup is generating massive interest... but also heated controversy.

Fifa announced that it had received five million ticket applications in a single day since the new sales phase opened on Thursday. An impressive figure, even though ticket prices have been heavily criticised by supporters' associations.

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According to the world football body, fans from more than 200 countries tried to get tickets. The group stage match Colombia - Portugal, scheduled for 27 June in Miami, is currently the most coveted.

Prices up sharply compared with the 2022 World Cup

While demand is enormous, Fifa's pricing policy is causing some people to cringe.

Tickets for the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, organised in the United States Canada and Mexico, cost up to three times more than the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

The cheapest ticket for the Final will cost around CHF 3,490, seven times more than in Doha.

The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) has described these prices as «scandalous» and, along with Football Supporters Europe (FSE), is calling for a temporary suspension of sales in order to open discussions with Fifa.

Pressure on national federations

In England, the Football Association (FA) was called upon to intervene with Fifa to relay the anger of the fans.

The FA has confirmed that it is aware of the dissatisfaction and plans to raise it at the Fifa Council meeting in Doha, which will be attended by President Debbie Hewitt.

It has already stated that it is opposed to dynamic pricing and has promised that it will not be applied during Euro 2028, which is being staged in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Details of prices converted into Swiss francs

At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, group stage tickets cost around :

• 77 CHF
• 184 CHF
• 245 CHF

For the 2026 World Cup, some highly anticipated matches such as England v Croatia or Scotland v Brazil are now priced at around :

• 222 CHF
• 418 CHF
• CHF 586

The increase becomes spectacular in the final stages:

• Quarter-finals: approximately CHF 568, CHF 848 or CHF 1,202
• Semi-finals: approx. CHF 768, CHF 2,037 or CHF 2,647
• Final: from CHF 3,490

There are no discounts for children or other categories of spectators.

A World Cup considered inaccessible for traditional supporters

The FSA is particularly critical of the «supporter value» category, which it sees as an illusion of accessibility.

According to the association, many loyal fans will simply be excluded from the tournament because the costs have become prohibitive.

Following your national team to the final would cost around :

• CHF 5,850 for the cheapest tickets
• CHF 9,910 in the mid-range
• CHF 13,840 for the best places

By way of comparison, the same route in Qatar cost between CHF 1,640 and CHF 4,380, for one match less.

A historic but controversial World Cup

The 2026 World Cup will be the first to bring together 48 nations, from 11 June to 19 July.

The most popular matches also include :

• Brazil - Morocco (New Jersey)
• Mexico - South Korea (Guadalajara)
• Ecuador - Germany (New Jersey)
• Scotland - Brazil (Miami)

The countries that generated the most requests were the three host nations, followed by Colombia, England, Brazil, Argentina, Germany and France.

Behind the scenes, Fifa has accepted its strategy, explaining that it needs to adapt its prices to the North American market and finance the development of world football. However, this approach is fuelling the feeling among many fans that a tournament that is supposed to bring the world together is becoming an event reserved for an elite few.

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