March 31 – While FIFA faces a global backlash over World Cup 2026 ticket pricing, UEFA is moving in the opposite direction for Euro 2028, and fans of the beautiful game in Europe.
UEFA has confirmed it intends to freeze most ticket prices for the European Championship, which will be staged across England, Scotland, Wales, and Ireland. The cheapest category, branded aptly as the “Fans First” ticket, is expected to come in at approximately £26. The next tier up sits at around £52. Both figures broadly mirror the €30 and €60 prices charged at Euro 2024 in Germany.
At the tournament’s official launch last November, Football Association chief executive Mark Bullingham told journalists that “approximately half” of the three million available tickets would fall into those two categories. A UEFA press release issued in December put the figure at “more than 40 per cent.” Either way, at least 1.2 million tickets at Euro 2028 will be priced at levels accessible to ordinary supporters.
That commitment looks even more significant set against what FIFA is doing this summer. The governing body is selling 6.7 million tickets for the 104-game World Cup across four price bands, with the cheapest category-four group-stage ticket starting at $60. At the other end, a category-one ticket for a marquee group game reaches $2,700. FIFA has also adopted a dynamic pricing model and is applying commission fees on its official resale platform both coming and going. A combination that sees FIFA as a scalper/tout taking a 30% taste on every transaction.
The contrast in philosophy is sharp. UEFA is protecting access. FIFA is maximizing yield. Fans know which approach serves them.
FIFA’s final World Cup sales window opens this week. Category-four tickets, the cheapest, sold out before you could say ‘dynamic pricing.’