Better start with the good news. If the Republic of Ireland qualify for next summer’s World Cup, the FAI will receive 8 per cent of the tickets for each game involving Heimir Hallgrímsson’s team.
Fifa have ringfenced 16 per cent of the seats for every game at North America 2026 at their initial prices for competing associations to sell to fans.
The protected ticket pricing was confirmed in advance of the World Cup draw in Washington, DC, on Friday, when Ireland’s three possible group opponents and the route to the final will be revealed.
For example, if Ireland are drawn in Group A to play co-hosts Mexico at the Azteca stadium on June 24th, the FAI will get 7,000 tickets out of the 87,523 capacity.
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Ireland still need to qualify through the play-offs in March by beating the Czech Republic in Prague, and then the winners of Denmark and North Macedonia in Dublin.
Ticket prices during the group stages range from $60 (€52) to $2,735 before Fifa’s newly introduced dynamic pricing and the resale of tickets could hike the cost of a seat by a 1,000 per cent in some cases.
The 16 venues and kick-off times for all 104 matches at the tournament that runs from June 11th to July 19th will be revealed on Saturday evening, with a fresh round of general ticket sales starting on December 11th.
“Fifa can confirm ringfenced allocations are being set aside for specific fan categories, as has been the case at previous World Cups,” a Fifa spokesman told The Irish Times. “These allocations will be set at a fixed price for the duration of the next ticket sales phase.
“The ringfenced allocations include tickets reserved for supporters of the participating member associations (PMAs), who will be allocated 8 per cent of the tickets for each match in which they take part, including all conditional knockout stage matches.”
The general public will also have access to the fixed pricing during a “random selection draw” that runs until January 13th. Thereafter, the remaining seats will be added to the Fifa website to be resold at eye-watering prices.
Ireland will know their potential opponents and venues after Friday’s draw, but the FAI will not have access to the ticket allocation unless the team qualifies for the tournament on March 31st.
However, Irish fans can buy tickets on general sale from December 11th, with a separate “ringfenced” window to be opened in early April for Ireland and Northern Ireland or Wales, should they come through the play-offs.
To the bad news. Many tickets that were sold in the two previous selling phases have already been rerouted to Fifa’s resale website that was set up to counter touts operating a black market. For example, the lowest priced ticket for Mexico’s group game, possibly against Ireland at the Azteca, has risen from $90 (€78) to its current value of $1,683.60 (€1,451).
From December 11th, fans will flood the Fifa system to purchase a maximum of four tickets each per game, with one household only allowed to buy 40 tickets at most across the tournament.
Fifa’s ticketing strategy is further complicated by having three co-host nations, as it is legal to resell tickets at increased prices in the US and Canada but this practice is illegal in Mexico.
With dynamic pricing introduced at a World Cup for the first time, tickets are expected to increase exponentially in cost when the sales window closes on January 13th.
“I didn’t know about [dynamic pricing], but it means that the prices can go up or can go down,” said Fifa president Gianni Infantino in September. “The important element is to fill stadiums to give opportunities to people to come.”
The resale prices at previous World Cups were capped at their initial price, but the cheapest ticket to attend the USA’s third Group D fixture at the SoFi stadium in Inglewood, California on June 19th – when Ireland could provide the opposition – has already been hiked from $90 to $1,464.
Fifa takes a 15 per cent commission from the seller and another 15 per cent from the buyer, earning $300 for every $1,000 traded, The Guardian reported.
“The pricing model adopted for Fifa World Cup 26 reflects the existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within our hosts on a daily basis, soccer included,” explained a Fifa spokesman.
“Fifa resale fees are aligned with North American industry trends across various sports and entertainment sectors.”
Maybe so, but increased prices for the 23rd edition of the World Cup will dissuade many football fans from traveling to the US, Canada or Mexico.
The cost of a category-one ticket to attend the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France at Lusail stadium in Qatar started at $1,607 whereas a 2026 final ticket at the MetLife started at $7,875 before increasing to $17,247 on resale.
“It is important to note, as a not-for-profit organisation, the revenue Fifa generates from the World Cup is reinvested to fuel the growth of the game throughout its 211 member associations globally.
“Without Fifa’s financial support more than 50 per cent of Fifa’s member associations could not operate.”
Part of the FAI’s current debt of €38 million is owed to Fifa.
