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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
Sport
Jack Rathborn and Miguel Delaney

How England fans can get World Cup 2026 tickets for £45 after Fifa climbdown

England fans can buy World Cup 2026 tickets for less than £45 ($60) thanks to Fifa’s drastic climbdown over ticket prices.

Some national associations were said to be “furious” at Fifa’s ticket prices, with the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) labelling the world governing body’s move as a “betrayal”.

The Independent’s chief football writer Miguel Delaney outlined the potential consequence of such extortionate ticket prices and the prospect of a decisive impact on the Three Lions’ most loyal fans, calling on The FA to push back.

And now Fifa has introduced a new “supporter entry tier” category for association ticket allocations, priced at $60 (USD) (£44.80) per ticket.

This tier will be moved from the existing “supporter value tier” category, meaning that these tickets are not in addition to the previously announced allocations.

The FA has confirmed that there will be enough supporter entry tier tickets to meet the demand of Top Cappers who have applied for each match, meaning ESTC members who are on a total of 62 active caps, with the ESTC World Cup Hub found here.

Should more Top Cappers register for more matches via Fifa’s application, which closes on Tuesday 13 January 2026, then the FA will introduce a mini ballot to award the tickets to fans.

The FA will subsequently consult the supporters and the FSA to settle on the fairest way to allocate tickets via a ballot.

What’s a ‘Top Capper’?

For the England national football team, a “Top Capper” refers to the most loyal fan in the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC), having compiled the highest number of “caps” (loyalty points). They have done so by attending most, if not all, of England’s home and away matches. This enables them to gain priority access at major tournaments, including the World Cup 2026.

Members are given two caps for every England Men’s Senior home game and two caps for every England Men’s Senior away game that they attend and Members can carry over their caps from the preceding two-year membership period only.

Moreover, if there are fewer top cappers than supporter entry tier tickets available for any given game, then a mini ballot will take place to award the remaining tickets at the entry-level price.

Top cappers who have already applied for category three (supporter value tier) do not need to update their applications or select the option to move down. While top cappers who now wish to apply can select the supporter value tier category three option, which will enable them to be considered for the supporter entry tier tickets automatically.

Match

Supporter Premier (Category 1) - Price/Allocation

Supporter Standard (Category 2) - Price/Allocation

Supporter Value (Category 3) - Price/Allocation

Supporter Entry (Category 4) - Price/Allocation

Match 22: England v Croatia

$700/1,006

$500/1,006

$265/1,458

$60/552

Match 45: England v Ghana

$600/973

$430/973

$220/1,404

$60/539

Match 67: England v Panama

$620/1,207

$465/1,207

$220/1,780

$60/632

Round of 32**

$610/750

$490/750

$235/1,050

$60/450

Round of 16**

$770/750

$605/750

$295/1,050

$60/450

Quarter-final**

$1,440/875

$1015/875

$680/1,250

$60/500

Semi-final**

$3,170/875

$2,440/875

$920/1,250

$60/500

Bronze final**

$1,125/875

$865/875

$455/1,250

$60/500

Final**

$700/1,125

$5,575/1,125

$4,185/1,650

$60/600

Members are advised to apply for their tickets by 11pm on Sunday 21 December, though anybody who is unable to apply before this date will not be penalised, with this separate date before the deadline used to provide more data to The FA to ensure a more tailored guidance to supporters to help you get the games and categories you wish based on your caps total, avoiding higher categories as much as possible.

More information and enquiries can be found by contacting ESTC@TheFA.com. Further guidance can be found here.

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