British prime minister pressures FIFA to cut World Cup ticket prices

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Tuesday became the latest most prominent leader to weigh in on the escalating backlash over World Cup ticket prices, urging FIFA to go further to keep the tournament affordable for fans.

His comments come even after FIFA introduced a limited number of lower-priced tickets following pressure from national federations and supporters’ groups.

“I welcome FIFA’s announcement of some lower-priced supporters’ tickets,” Starmer wrote in a statement. “But as someone who used to save up for England tickets, I encourage FIFA to do more to make tickets more affordable so that the World Cup doesn’t lose touch with the genuine supporters who make the game so special.”

Across the Atlantic, New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani has also seized on the issue, pledging to appoint a “World Cup czar” to push FIFA to lower prices ahead of the 2026 tournament, which will be hosted across the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

“This is going to be me using my platform to speak up to FIFA at every opportunity,” Mamdani said Sunday on CBS News New York.

FIFA’s ticket pricing plan has drawn international outrage as fans worry they are being priced out of the sport’s marquee event. The governing body has faced particular criticism for its use of dynamic pricing, which allows ticket prices to fluctuate based on demand.

At the time of the joint bid by the United States, Canada and Mexico to host the World Cup, the bid listed potential ticket prices as low as $21. Before a recent adjustment in prices, the lowest-listed tickets for any round were above $100, with no ticket for the final under $4,185.

European football federations and fan groups have been among the most vocal critics.

Football Supporters Europe said it was “astonished by the extortionate ticket prices imposed by FIFA on the most dedicated supporters for next year’s FIFA World Cup.”

“For the first time in World Cup history, no consistent price will be offered across all group-stage games,” the group said in a statement. “Instead, FIFA is introducing a variable pricing policy dependent on vague criteria such as the perceived attractiveness of the fixture.”

The organization, which represents millions of fans across more than 50 countries, noted that supporters of different national teams would be charged vastly different prices for tickets in the same category at the same stage of the tournament, without transparency around how prices are set.

Under mounting pressure, FIFA on Tuesday announced it would slash prices for a small portion of tickets reserved for national federations’ most loyal supporters. Those fans will be able to purchase “supporter entry tier” tickets priced at $60 for every match, including the final, compared with prices that previously ran into the thousands of dollars.

The discounted tickets will be distributed by national federations to fans who have attended previous matches at home and abroad.

But they represent only a tiny share of available seats — about 1.6 percent of tickets per match.