Football fans and supporter groups are expressing fury after tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup soared to staggering levels on the tournament’s own official resale platform, with some seats advertised for more than 40 times their original price.

On FIFA’s ticketing portal, a category three seat for the opening match between hosts Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium was recently listed at $5,324, up from a face value of $895. Even more shocking, a single category three ticket for the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, appeared at $143,750, compared with an original price of $3,450. The cheapest available ticket for the final on the same platform was close to $10,000.

The figures confirm long-standing fears among fans that the World Cup’s secondary market would become unaffordable, despite being operated under FIFA’s banner. The governing body stresses that it merely facilitates fan-to-fan resales and that individual sellers set the prices, while FIFA collects a 15 percent fee on each transaction.

In a statement, FIFA argued that its pricing structure “reflects existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events” in the host nations and pointed to differing legal regimes. The resale market is largely unregulated in the United States and Canada, while Mexico bans resale above face value only when tickets are bought domestically in local currency.

For many supporters, those explanations ring hollow. “These exorbitant prices unfortunately don’t surprise me. It reflects what we know and what we fight against: many people buy to resell,” said Guillaume Aupretre, spokesperson for the France national team supporters’ group Irresistibles Francais. “In the end, who pays the price? The passionate fans who end up with outrageous offers.”

Fan organisations such as Football Supporters Europe have accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal,” arguing that the system locks ordinary followers out of the world’s biggest sporting event. FIFA has responded by creating a limited pool of tickets priced at $60 for official supporters’ groups, but critics say the gesture is cosmetic given the scale of demand.

Despite the backlash, sales remain brisk. FIFA says it has received around 500 million ticket requests, and a final “last-minute” sales phase will run on a first-come, first-served basis, with prices subject to what the organisation calls “variable pricing” based on demand and availability.