Euroconsumer and FSE have filed a lawsuit with the European Commission against the sports body over World Cup ticket prices.
Published March 24, 2026
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and Euroconsumers have filed a lawsuit with the European Commission against soccer’s world governing body FIFA, alleging that ticket prices for this year’s World Cup finals are too high.
“Euro Consumers and Football Supporters of Europe (FSE) has lodged a formal complaint with the European Commission against FIFA, alleging that FIFA is abusing its monopoly position to impose exorbitant ticket prices and opaque and unfair purchase conditions and procedures on European fans ahead of the 2026 World Cup,” FSE said in a statement on Tuesday.
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“FIFA has a monopoly on ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup and is using that power to impose conditions on fans that would never be acceptable in a competitive market,” the group added.
FSE said the price for the July 19 final is much higher than the price for the 2022 final in Qatar.
“The lowest price for a finals ticket available to the public currently starts at $4,185, which is more than seven times the lowest price for a 2022 World Cup finals ticket,” they said.
In contrast, the lowest price for a UEFA Euro 2024 final ticket was 95 euros (about 11,000 yen).
“FIFA’s own bidding documents predicted an average ticket price of $1,408, but that figure is well below that,” FSE added.
FIFA said about 7 million tickets were available for the sport’s marquee event, which is co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.
A maximum of 4 tickets may be purchased per person per game, for a total of 40 tickets for the entire tournament.
The first expanded 48-team World Cup will feature a total of 104 matches, with ticket prices soaring for the most sought-after matches.
According to FSE, the North American bid initially promised ticket sales starting at as low as $21, but tickets for the Group J opener between Austria and Jordan at California’s Levi’s Stadium, for example, now sell for as low as $60.
Most tickets for games involving major nations cost at least $200.
Some of the finals tickets sold on FIFA’s official resale site are sold at astronomical prices.
Category 3 seats for the game at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium were advertised for an eye-watering $143,750, more than 41 times the original face value of $3,450.
