Statement: Football Australia must step up to the plate on "Appalling" World Cup tickets
Australia’s peak football supporters' association is demanding Football Australia (FA) take immediate action with FIFA over the absurd cost and organisation of 2026 World Cup tickets.
Patrick Clancy, Chair of Football Supporters Association Australia (FSAA), said FIFA’s actions were outrageous, accusing the governing body of skimming hundreds of thousands of dollars from loyal football fans.
“Apart from the record-high prices of tickets at this World Cup—across all categories—FIFA has now reportedly relegated Category 1 ticket holders by inventing two entirely new levels of tickets: Front Category 1 and Front Category 2,” Clancy said.
“Anyone who bought Category 1 tickets over recent months, thinking they had secured the best front-row seats, is now resigned to sitting behind someone paying even more in these entirely new categories of platinum tickets.
“The pricing and administration of tickets by FIFA has been simply appalling. Every time a new sales period opens up, the ticket prices go up even more, and there is zero explanation from FIFA.
“It is about time Football Australia, as a member association of FIFA, promptly and directly raised the concerns of Australian football supporters with the international governing body. Football should be about the fans, their passion, and the match-day atmosphere they generate. It isn’t about who can make the most money or having FIFA create the biggest war chest so they can dole out dollars to their pet projects.”
The FSAA has outlined several major ticketing issues currently devastating football supporters attempting to attend the 2026 World Cup:
The FA+ Paywall: The introduction by FA of a mandatory $99 "FA+" fee for all Australian football fans wanting to join the ticket ballot, showing little foresight or regard for loyal supporters who already fork out thousands annually to support our national teams.
"Ghost" Tickets: A US$60 ticket—which FIFA introduced following intense criticism over pricing—is almost impossible to access due to the extremely low volumes actually made available.
Dynamic Pricing: Tickets that had an original face value of US$200 are now selling for thousands of dollars with the cheapest World Cup Final tickets skyrocketing to US$5,785 abandoning the initial US$695 promise.
Double-Dipping on Resales: FIFA is taking a massive 30% commission on the total value of any ticket re-sold through the official FIFA ticket platform (charging 15% to the seller and 15% to the buyer).
Final Exorbitance: The cheapest tickets to the World Cup Final are now priced at a whopping US$5,785, completely abandoning their original commitment to a minimum price of US$695.
The FSAA will be writing formally to Football Australia demanding it get behind Australian football supporters, particularly those heading to the World Cup and those who have been priced out, and request that FIFA end its outrageous ticket pricing practices immediately.
Furthermore, the FSAA welcomes and supports the recent action taken by its European counterparts. Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has filed a formal complaint with the European Commission.
This complaint seeks that FIFA:
Ends dynamic pricing for fans immediately.
Caps current prices at December 2025 levels.
Publishes full ticket availability and seat locations.
