Mexican president says FIFA should reflect on high World Cup ticket prices

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum on Monday said FIFA should reflect on the high cost of tickets for the 2026 World Cup as many have called the price far out of reach for the vast majority of Mexicans.

Sheinbaum told journalists that soccer should be much more than a business.

“Soccer has to be something else,” she said. “All of this should prompt reflection, even within FIFA.”

There was no immediate public reaction from FIFA. Its president, Gianni Infantino, last week defended high ticket prices as fitting in the North American market.

Earlier this year, tickets for matches in the three host countries including Mexico went on sale at prices ranging from $140 to $8,680. While some prices have fallen, others have soared. Tickets for the final are priced at $32,970. Resale prices are higher. In April, FIFA’s own resale platform listed four tickets for the final at around $2.3 million each.

Although Mexico’s president acknowledged that it is “fine” for the World Cup to be run as a business, she said soccer also should be “a space for bringing people together, like all sports.”

Sheinbaum’s government has come under criticism by a range of social movements protesting in Mexico City, which say the government is prioritizing the tournament over pressing social needs.

Meanwhile, parts of stadiums in places like Guadalajara have had visibly empty seats. FIFA last week blamed some empty seats in Guadalajara on fans who watched from the concourses.

Since the prices were announced for the 104 World Cup matches to be played in Mexico, the United States and Canada, Sheinbaum has spoken out and promoted a government-backed “Social World Cup” initiative.

The program aims to set up street festivals in Mexico City and other cities across the country where Mexicans and foreign tourists can watch matches free of charge on giant screens.

According to local authorities, half a million people attended the 18 street festivals across Mexico City on June 11 to watch the opening match in which Mexico defeated South Africa.

Sheinbaum also broke with a longstanding World Cup tradition under which the host country’s president attends the opening match. Instead, she gave her ticket to a 21-year-old Indigenous female soccer player who had no financial means of purchasing one.

The federal government also decided that public officials would give up about 500 tickets to people who participated in “Social World Cup” activities, and that 88 tickets would be distributed through schools.