December 3 – FIFA’s decision to introduce dynamic pricing to the sale of 2026 World Cup tickets potentially marks a watershed moment for the greatest show on earth – one that risks pricing ordinary supporters out of what used to be the world’s game.
International consumer rights organisation Euroconsumers has urged FIFA to abandon the model before sales begin, arguing that demand-led pricing has no place in the expanded 48-team competition.
Its concern is that in a market with no competition and no alternative vendors, dynamic pricing functions not as a market mechanism but as a monopoly tool – one that could see prices climb sharply the moment supporters show interest.
“Football is a shared cultural experience, not a testing ground for revenue-maximising algorithms,” said Euroconsumers’ Head of Policy and Enforcement, Els Bruggeman. “Without alternatives, fans are left exposed to unpredictable, unfair pricing. FIFA must rethink this.”
The group argues that dynamic pricing only works when consumers have choices – different sellers, or the option to wait for the market to cool. At the World Cup, neither exists. Fans depend entirely on FIFA’s official platform, making them a captive audience for real-time, demand-driven price surges.
Euroconsumers says the likely consequences are clear:
– Higher prices for identical seats
– Opaque, unpredictable price changes
– Reduced access for families and average match-goers
– Eroded trust in tournament organisers
Earlier this year, Euroconsumers and Football Supporters Europe submitted a joint letter to FIFA outlining these risks. Although both groups later met with FIFA officials, they say the governing body has failed to provide any meaningful safeguards – only committing to “periodically reviewing” prices – a phrase that, in practice, provides no clarity on how high prices may rise, or why.
The introduction of dynamic pricing follows a familiar strategic pattern for FIFA with the 2026 World Cup’s expansion to 48 teams looking increasingly like a revenue-driven exercise rather than a competition-enhancing progression.
In that context, dynamic pricing feels less like a one-off experiment and more like the next step in FIFA’s commercial escalation.
As part of its campaign, ‘The Real Price of Priceless’, Euroconsumers has released a new video targeting the policy and urging supporters to call for change. The organisation is demanding that FIFA: drop dynamic or variable pricing entirely ; set transparent, fixed prices in advance ; and engage directly with consumer groups to rebuild a fair, predictable ticketing system.
With ticket sales set to open imminently, the issue is now red hot. The World Cup is supposed to be the sport’s most unifying experience, but with dynamic pricing looming, football’s greatest tournament is edging ever closer to becoming a luxury event – one increasingly out of reach for the very supporters who give it meaning.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1764765569labto1764765569ofdlr1764765569owedi1764765569sni@g1764765569niwe.1764765569yrrah1764765569
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