As criticism mounted over the high ticket prices for the 2026 North and Central America World Cup, the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) responded by releasing tickets at a minimum price of $60 (approximately 88,000 won). As a result, for the final match, where tickets previously exceeded 10 million won, some fans will now be able to purchase tickets for less than 90,000 won.
On December 17 (Korea Standard Time), FIFA announced that it would introduce new $60 minimum-priced tickets for all 104 matches of the North and Central America World Cup.
The new ticket category, called the 'Supporter Entry Tier,' can be purchased through the football associations of the participating countries.
Each national football association is required to sell these tickets only to 'loyal football fans' who meet its own eligibility criteria.
FIFA's release of low-priced tickets appears to be a response to public criticism that ticket prices for this tournament are unreasonably high.
According to foreign media outlets such as AP, existing ticket prices for the North and Central America World Cup, sold through national football associations, are set very high: group stage tickets range from $180 to $700 (260,000 to 1.03 million won), and final match tickets range from $4,185 to $8,680 (6.16 million to 12.79 million won).
This is an increase of more than fivefold compared to the $69 to $1,607 price range for the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
As a result, there has been a strong backlash among fans, with the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) stating, "This is an unprecedented betrayal of World Cup tradition and disregards the role of fans who contribute to the spectacle of the World Cup."
FIFA stated, "The announcement of this new ticket category comes amid explosive global demand for tickets. In the ongoing random draw sales phase alone, 20 million purchase requests have already been received," adding, "The revenue generated from this tournament will be reinvested in the development of football. More than 90% of the 2023-2026 budget will be reinvested in the growth of men's, women's, and youth football across 211 member associations."
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