FIFA is set to release additional World Cup tickets following backlash from fans over the introduction of new, pricier ticket categories.
On Tuesday, the organization announced that more tickets would be available at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday for all 104 matches, including Categories 1, 2, and 3, along with the newly introduced “front category” pricing released earlier this month.
The introduction of this new category led to online discontent, with fans expressing frustration that the better seats in the categories they had initially purchased seemed to be missing and that they ended up with less desirable locations instead.
In December, FIFA opened ticket sales with prices ranging from $140 for Category 3 in the initial round to $8,680 for the final match. When sales resumed on April 1, prices increased to as high as $10,990.
FIFA did not respond to a request for comment regarding the new ticket categories made on April 9.
Additionally, The Athletic reported on Tuesday that ticket sales are falling short for the U.S. match against Paraguay scheduled for June 12 in Inglewood, California. A document shared with local organizers on April 10 noted that only 40,934 tickets were sold for the U.S.-Paraguay game, and 50,661 for the Iran-New Zealand match on April 15. FIFA estimates that SoFi Stadium’s World Cup capacity will be around 69,650, though this figure may change.
During the December sale, ticket prices for the U.S.-Paraguay game were set at $1,120, $1,940, and $2,735, while tickets for the Iran-New Zealand match ranged from $140 to $450.