FLASH
Shkruar nga Pamfleti
FIFA announced on Friday that it had received 5 million ticket requests in the first 24 hours of the third phase of ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup, despite backlash from fan groups over the latest prices.
World football's governing body said figures showed "demand from around the world reached extraordinary levels" as fans were able to request tickets for specific matches for the first time following last week's draw for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Expressing the "enthusiasm" of fans from over 200 countries to buy tickets for the 48-team World Cup, FIFA showed no sign of backing down in the face of fierce criticism when the final prices were revealed on Thursday. A list published by the German Football Association revealed that prices ranged from $180 to $700 for various group stage matches. The lowest price for the final was $4,185 and the highest was $8,680.
The English Football Association shared the pricing information with the England Travel Supporters Club (ESTC), which showed that if a fan bought a ticket for every match up to the final, it would cost just over $7,000. Supporters’ organisation Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described the current prices as “excessive” and called on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales through national associations “until a solution is found that respects the tradition, universality and cultural significance of the World Cup.”
“ This is a monumental betrayal of the World Cup tradition, ignoring the contribution of fans to the spectacle that it is, ” they said in a statement. The goal of U.S. soccer officials when they bid to host the tournament seven years ago was to offer hundreds of thousands of seats at $21 during the opening round of matches. However, FIFA has implemented dynamic pricing at a World Cup for the first time since using it at this summer’s Club World Cup, with prices set to fluctuate based on demand.
The last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994, prices ranged from $25 to $475. In Qatar in 2022, prices ranged from about $70 to $1,600 when ticket details were announced. Through the “random selection lottery,” which began Thursday, fans are able to choose the games, ticket category and number of tickets for each game they wish to purchase, although there is no guarantee of successfully receiving tickets. The third phase of sales will run until January 13, 2026, with successful applicants notified by email in February and automatically sent tickets.
FIFA said the three host nations led the demand in the third phase, with strong demand from other countries in the Americas. Colombia, England, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Scotland, Germany, Australia, France and Panama made up the 10 countries with the most requests for tickets. Among the group stage matches, Colombia's clash with Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal in Miami on June 27 attracted the most requests for tickets in the first 24 hours, FIFA said. Other matches in demand include Brazil vs. Morocco (New Jersey), Mexico vs. South Korea (Guadalajara), Ecuador vs. Germany (New Jersey) and Scotland vs. Brazil (Miami).
Despite Scotland's strong demand for ticket sales for what will be the country's first World Cup appearance since 1998, a group of Scottish fans have called the prices "shameful and disgusting" and have urged the country's football association to make their feelings known to FIFA. " This will cost our fans dearly ," the Association of Tartan Army Clubs (ATAC) said in a statement. " FIFA has killed the dream of our young fans, who are looking forward to going to the World Cup ."
“ The SFA should challenge FIFA, along with other associations, to stop this sale and review the prices for our supporters .” Meanwhile, the Football Association of England will make its fans’ dissatisfaction known to FIFA, according to a report on Friday by the Press Association, although it is not hopeful that anything will change as a result.
FIFA closed Friday's update by stating that, " As a not-for-profit organization, FIFA reinvests the revenue it generates from the FIFA World Cup to foster the growth of men's, women's and youth football in all 211 FIFA Member Associations globally ."
Lini një Përgjigje