ZÜRICH, Switzerland: With criticism mounting over the cost of attending the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has unveiled a limited batch of lower-priced tickets aimed at easing pressure on fans of participating teams.

FIFA said it has introduced a small number of US$60 "Supporter Entry Tier" tickets, a move designed to make next year's tournament more affordable. Football's governing body said the discounted tickets will be available for all 104 matches, including the final.

The cheaper tickets will account for 10 percent of the ticket allocations assigned to Participating Member Associations (PMAs), which represent competing national teams and run dedicated ticket programmes for their supporters.

The PMAs will oversee the allocation process and set their own criteria to prioritise tickets for fans deemed most closely connected to their national teams.

"In total, half of each PMA's ticket allocation will fall within the most affordable categories: 40 percent under the Supporter Value Tier and 10 percent under the new Supporter Entry Tier," FIFA said in a statement.

"The remaining allocation will be split evenly between the Supporter Standard Tier and the Supporter Premier Tier," it added.

Fans who apply for tickets through PMA programmes and whose teams fail to advance to the knockout stage will be able to request refunds without paying administrative fees, FIFA said.

The announcement comes as ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup — scheduled to take place from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, Mexico, and the United States — face growing scrutiny.

Last week, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) accused FIFA of charging "extortionate" prices that could put matches out of reach for average fans.

FSE director Ronan Evain told Reuters on Tuesday that the new ticket tier was a positive development but said it fell short. "While the new pricing was a step in the right direction, it was ‘clearly not sufficient'," Evain said.

He pointed out that following a team to the final would cost $480 under category four pricing, but rises to $6,900 under category three, meaning one fan "sitting in the same section" as another could pay 15 times more.

Evain also criticised the lack of transparency around how tickets are distributed.

"FIFA doesn't provide any guidelines or obligations for the PMAs. They have the freedom to choose how they distribute the tickets," he said.

According to the BBC, around 400 of the cheaper tickets are expected to be available for England and Scotland's group-stage matches. Evain noted, however, that most PMAs do not disclose how many tickets they receive.

FIFA said PMAs had been asked to ensure that the lower-priced tickets were "specifically allocated to loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams".

Evain further raised concerns over accessibility for disabled supporters. "The cheapest they can get all the way to the final is $7,000, and they also must pay full price for companion seats, meaning that following a team to the final could cost $14,000," he said.

Despite the criticism, FIFA said interest in the third phase of ticket sales — which opened on December 11 and runs until January 13 — has been strong, boosted by the release of match schedules, venues, and kick-off times.