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FIFA releases more World Cup tickets amid fan backlash over pricing
22nd April, 2026 12:02 PM
The World Football Governing Body (FIFA) is putting more 2026 World Cup tickets on sale after angering some fans by adding new, more expensive categories.
FIFA announced on Tuesday, April 21, 2026, that it would make more tickets available on Wednesday for all 104 games in Categories 1, 2, and 3, in addition to the new “front category” pricing it added this month.
Tickets category
The new category led to online complaints from fans, who said they had thought that the better seats in the categories they had bought tickets for were withheld, and they had been assigned less favorable locations.
In December, FIFA put tickets on sale at prices ranging from Ksh18,200 for Category 3 in the first round to Ksh1,128,400 for the final, then raised prices to as much as Ksh1,428,700 when sales reopened on April 1.
FIFA did not respond to an April 9 request for comment about the new ticket categories it added.
Also on Tuesday, The Athletic reported that ticket sales are lagging for the US opener against Paraguay on June 12 at Inglewood, California.
It said a document distributed to local organizers, dated April 10, stated that 40,934 tickets had been bought for the US-Paraguay game, and 50,661 were bought for the Iran-New Zealand contest on April 15.
Opening match
FIFA projects the capacity at the Los Angeles SoFi Stadium, where the US-Paraguay and Iran-New Zealand games will be held, to be about 69,650, noting that it may change.
FIFA’s December sale priced US-Paraguay tickets at Ksh145,600, Ksh252,200, and Ksh355,550, while Iran-New Zealand seats were priced at Ksh18,200, Ksh49,400, and Ksh58,500.
The football bonanza will feature an expanded 48‑team line‑up for the summer. DR Congo and Iraq were the last two teams to book their places in the 23rd edition of the World Cup to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico from 11 June to 19 July.
A record 48 nations -up from the 32 that featured in Qatar four years ago—will take part in the 2026 edition, making it the largest World Cup field, with 104 matches to be played across three countries for the first time.
It will take place in 16 cities—11 in the US, three in Mexico, and two in Canada, between 11 June and 19 July, 2026.
