England supporters heading to the 2026 World Cup are bracing themselves for one of the most expensive tournaments in history.
The FA has informed members of the England Supporters’ Travel Club (ESTC) that the cheapest ticket for any of the team’s matches will be around £165, over triple the price of the lowest-band seats offered in Qatar.
The biggest shock comes at the top end of FIFA’s pricing scale. Should England reach the final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, the minimum ticket price will be £3,129.
For reference, a seat at the Euro 2024 final in Berlin cost as little as €95 (£83) for official England members. Even with loyalty-point access to discounted category two seats, many fans say the new structure is “beyond anything they expected”.
The true price of following England at the 2026 World Cup
If supporters want to follow Thomas Tuchel’s squad from the group stage all the way to the final, the total commitment will reach an eye-watering £5,186, based on current exchange rates.
That is more than four times the overall cost faced by travelling fans during Qatar 2022, despite that tournament featuring one less match.
The cheapest tickets will come for the group fixtures against Panama and Ghana, priced at $220 (£165), while the opener versus Croatia in Dallas will cost just under $265 ( £200).
Prices then escalate in the knockout rounds – £175 for the round of 32, £220 for the last 16, £508 for the quarter-final and £687 for the semi-final – before the huge leap past the £3,000 mark for the final.
Supporter groups have warned that anyone who delays committing risks being forced into an inflated resale market, where final tickets could reach three times the already massive FIFA prices.
Fan organisations across Europe have reacted furiously, accusing FIFA of abandoning its promise of an accessible, inclusive tournament.
As reported by The Times, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) said it was “astonished” by the “extortionate” pricing, calling the structure a betrayal of the World Cup’s tradition and of the supporters who help define the atmosphere of the competition.
FGG Says: This is daylight robbery
FIFA’s pricing model does not just stretch loyalty, it exploits it. Charging over £3,000 for a final ticket and pushing total costs beyond £5,000 is a slap in the face to the very people who bring colour, noise and identity to the World Cup.
Fans were promised accessibility and affordability, yet face a tournament built for corporate wallets, not real supporters. Unless FIFA rows back, 2026 risks becoming the most exclusive and least authentic World Cup ever staged.