Prime Minister asks FIFA ‘to do more’ after World Cup ticket prices concession

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has urged FIFA to do more after the world governing body introduced cheaper World Cup tickets for a small number of fans following an outcry over pricing.

Supporters who are part of national team travel clubs and loyalty schemes discovered last week the cheapest tickets for the final would be priced at over £3,000, while England fans wishing to follow the team from the first match to the final should they get there would have to spend over £5,000 as a minimum.

However, FIFA has now announced that 10 per cent of the participant member association (PMA) allocation for each match will be priced at 60 US dollars (£45) – including for the final.

The decision follows meetings between senior officials in Doha this week, where federations – including the Football Association – are understood to have shared concerns about the pricing model.

However, the concession appears to have done little to quell the anger among supporters, with one fan group branding it “nothing more than an appeasement tactic”.

And now Starmer has called on FIFA to go further, saying on X: “I welcome FIFA’s announcement of some lower priced supporters tickets.

“But as someone who used to save up for England tickets, I encourage FIFA to do more to make tickets more affordable so that the World Cup doesn’t lose touch with the genuine supporters who make the game so special.”

FIFA faced criticism from fan groups last week, with Football Supporters Europe (FSE) accusing them of a “monumental betrayal” of fans and urging the sport’s world governing body to halt the PMA allocation sale process.

The PMA allocation equates to eight per cent of stadium capacity per country per match.

The FA had been allocated just over 4,000 tickets for the opening match against Croatia, meaning around 400 fans could benefit from the new £45 tickets, with a further 40 per cent able to access the next cheapest tickets, which are considerably more at £198.

For the final, around 450 of the 4,500 tickets would be available for £45.

A FIFA official close to the discussions said: “Demand for tickets has been off the scale, more than 20 million requests so far in this latest phase. We have listened to feedback and this new category is the right thing to do.

“Making 60-dollar tickets available to more fans, including the most loyal ones who travel, was agreed on unanimously.

“Associations will need to work out who best should receive them. It’s a unique tournament and a unique market in the USA, in particular, which allows resales on secondary platforms. The demand is sky high.

“No organisation does more to support the development of the game around the world than FIFA. All 211 associations, including the poorest countries, will benefit from a commercially successful World Cup.”

But the Football Supporters’ Association’s Fans’ Embassy for England fans called on FIFA to stop “playing PR games” and “set prices at a reasonable price for all supporters”.

It said on X: “FIFA have a track record of announcing ‘affordable’ headline prices that, in reality, aren’t available to the vast majority of fans.

“This seems to be a new version of that with the intention of relieving pressure on FIFA without fixing things for the majority of supporters.

“This is a step in the right direction, as it shows changes for good can be made, but it still leaves 90% of loyal, hardcore supporters paying ridiculous prices.”

FSE said “the revisions do not go far enough” and pointed to the absence of a pricing structure for disabled fans or complementary companion tickets.

A statement added: “For the moment we are looking at the FIFA announcement as nothing more than an appeasement tactic due to the global negative backlash.

“We call upon FIFA to engage in a proper dialogue to arrive at a solution that respects the contribution of fans and the dignity of fans with disabilities.”

The FA has been approached for comment.