A football fans group is calling on FIFA to stop the sale of tickets for next year's World Cup due to the "extortionate" cost.
According to Football Supporters Europe (FSE) — which represents fans across the continent — the tickets for the competition in the United States, Canada and Mexico, running between 11 June and 19 July, will cost almost five times more than the 2022 edition in Qatar.
"Football Supporters Europe is astonished by the extortionate ticket prices imposed by FIFA on the most dedicated supporters for next year's FIFA World Cup," the fan organisastion said on Thursday.
It said that tickets allocated to national associations — typically distributed through official supporters' groups or loyalty programs to their most dedicated fans — were reaching "astronomical" levels.
"Based on the information currently available to FSE, if a supporter were to follow their team from the first match to the final... it would cost them a minimum of $6,900.
"We call on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales, engage in a consultation with all impacted parties, and review ticket prices and category distribution until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found."
FSE claimed World Cup organisers had promised much cheaper costs for the tournament, pointing to tickets priced from $21 in a bid document released in 2018.
"Where are these tickets now?" it asked.
"The full way to the final, according to the same bid book, was supposed to cost $2,242 in the cheapest category. This promise is long gone."
For Australian viewers, the World Cup will kick off with the opening game between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on 12 June at 5am AEST.
Australia's Socceroos will face off on 14 June with the winners of a European playoff, followed by matches against the USA on 20 June and Paraguay on 25 June.
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