Soccer fans on Tuesday launched a formal complaint with the European Commission against FIFA over World Cup ticket prices.
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) said it joined with consumer group Euroconsumers to allege that soccer’s world governing body had abused its position to impose excessive prices.
FSE accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal” in December last year when tickets were put on general sale ranging from US$140 for the cheapest group games to US$8,680 for the final. The cheapest tickets for the final were US$4,185, but all prices are subject to change as FIFA is employing dynamic pricing for the first time at the World Cup cohosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.
Photo: Kirby Lee / Imagn Images
“FIFA holds a monopoly over ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup and has used that power to impose conditions on fans that would never be acceptable in a competitive market,” FSE and Euroconsumers said in a statement.
Following a backlash from fans in December, FIFA slashed some ticket prices to US$60 for every round through to the final, which teams could distribute to their most loyal fans.
FSE also said that FIFA deployed pressure selling tactics and cricitized the transparency of the process.
It has called for prices to be frozen during the next round of sales next month and for dynamic pricing to be stopped when selling to fans in Europe.
FIFA told reporters that it had not formally received the complaint.
It said that as a not-for-profit organization, revenue from the World Cup was reinvested to grow soccer.
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