Idman.biz
FIFA announced on Wednesday its plans for the final sales phase of tickets for the 2026 World Cup.
Idman.Biz reports that the world football governing body stated that over a million tickets were sold by the end of the previous release between December and February, and that additional tickets will be released for general sale on April 1st ahead of the tournament taking place from June 11th to July 19th.
The final phase comes after FIFA President Gianni Infantino declared in January that demand for tickets was equivalent to a "1000-year World Cup" at the same time and that all 104 games of the tournament would be sold out.
FIFA has faced criticism for its ticket pricing strategy for the tournament, which is jointly hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.
Fans accused FIFA of an "unprecedented betrayal" when tickets ranging from $140 (238 AZN) for the cheapest group games to $8,680 (14756 AZN) for the final went on general sale in December.
On Tuesday, the European Football Supporters organisation said it had joined the "Euroconsumers" consumer group to file a formal complaint to the European Commission about the prices.
The organisation criticised the excessively high prices and the introduction of a "dynamic pricing" system for the first time at a World Cup, which could lead to further increases in costs.
FIFA said that the remaining tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. The organisation emphasised that the final phase will allow fans to choose specific seats, while those who have already purchased tickets will be able to see which seats have been allocated to them from April 1st.
