Pep Guardiola, Manchester City head coach, spoke about the high cost of tickets set by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup and delivered a reflection that directly points to fan access to the most important event in soccer. The coach recalled that in the past, the World Cup had a much more popular and close meaning for supporters.
During the FA Cup press conference, Guardiola was asked about the topic and was very critical of the prices. “A long, long time ago the World Cup was a celebration of the joy of soccer. Everyone would travel to watch their country. But now we are in modern times, it has become so expensive,” Guardiola said.
Guardiola closed his reflection with a strong statement about the spirit that, according to him, should not be lost in soccer. “Soccer is for the fans.” The message once again puts on the table a discussion that is becoming more frequent: the commercial growth of soccer and the difficulty many supporters have in accessing major international events.
Prices reported by FIFA
FIFA set prices such as $400 for a general ticket in Austria vs Algeria at Arrowhead in Kansas City, $1600 for Brazil vs Morocco at MetLife in New Jersey, and more than $2700 for the United States debut. VIP passes range from $15000 to $25000. Finals in resale surpass 2 million.
The FIFA World Cup trophy.
Very high prices that, in some cases, do not provide enough motivation to attend, especially when having to pay inflated costs, and even more so in resale markets handled by third parties, which are understood to be much more expensive than official platforms.
The balance between profitability and popular access
Despite his firm criticism of the current pricing system, Guardiola acknowledged the financial reality surrounding events of this magnitude. The coach admitted that corporate involvement is necessary for the logistical viability of tournaments, but insisted that economic interests should not outweigh the people.
“Obviously, you have to think about sponsors and all those things because otherwise it would not be sustainable. But the fans are the key reason why this business can continue to function,” the coach concluded.
