By Friday morning, 76 tickets were posted in the “supporter” sections behind the goal on the England side. It’s unclear whether these listings come from the original ESTC buyers or from others who purchased and then relisted them at higher prices.
Tickets from the ESTC allocation are restricted to users who identified themselves as “Fans of England” when registering with Fifa. Sellers choose their own asking prices—which can go up or down—but those figures don’t necessarily reflect what buyers will actually pay. The FA cannot curb resale because Fifa allows it. However, the lowest-priced category four tickets, $60 (£45), are not eligible for resale.
The Football Supporters’ Association criticised Fifa for creating a resale platform that enables steep mark-ups and takes a 15% fee from both buyer and seller, calling it a clear example of profiteering. They also urged Fifa to give the FA greater control over the official allocation—similar to the rules on category four—to protect England fans ahead of a marquee fixture. While the FSA has consistently challenged Fifa on fan costs, it also condemned supporters who are touting their own tickets at excessive prices, noting that sales via Fifa’s system may be within the rules but fall short of how fans should treat each other.
On Tuesday, the ESTC announced a new anti-touting policy for home matches following a successful trial. Sunday’s game in Mexico City will be shown live on BBC One.
The ESTC, which costs £65 per year for renewing adult members, received an allocation of 3,000 tickets for the 80,824-capacity Azteca—an allotment that cannot be increased. In total, 4,373 members applied, making the match significantly oversubscribed. Supporters with at least 27 caps were guaranteed a face-value ticket. Listings on Fifa’s platform were only permitted once England’s place was confirmed on Wednesday evening after the win over DR Congo in the round of 32.