Dec 16 (Reuters) - FIFA introduced on Tuesday a small number of $60 "Supporter Entry Tier" tickets, aiming to make next year's World Cup more affordable for fans of qualified teams.
Football's governing body said that the discounted tickets would cover all 104 matches of the tournament, including the final.
The cheaper tickets will make up 10% of Participating Member Associations' (PMAs) allocations.
The PMAs, which represent competing national teams and manage dedicated fan ticket programmes, will
handle the ticket allocation process.
They will also define their own criteria to prioritise tickets for "loyal fans" closely connected to their national teams.
"In total, half of each PMA's ticket allocation will fall within the most affordable categories: 40% under the Supporter Value Tier and 10% under the new Supporter Entry Tier," FIFA said in a statement.
"The remaining allocation will be split evenly between the Supporter Standard Tier and the Supporter Premier Tier," they added.
Fans who apply through PMA ticketing programmes and whose teams fail to progress to the knockout stage will have administrative fees waived for refund requests.
The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of ticket pricing ahead of the 2026 tournament, set to take place from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Last week, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) accused FIFA of imposing "extortionate" ticket prices that could prevent average fans from attending the event.
Despite the backlash, FIFA reported strong interest in the sale's third phase draw, which began on December 11 and will remain open until January 13, driven by the release of match schedules, venues and kick-off times.
(Reporting by Angelica Medina in Mexico CityEditing by Toby Davis)
