12, December 2025
FIFA accused of ‘monumental betrayal’ over latest World Cup 2026 tickets 0
Soccer fans have accused FIFA of a “monumental betrayal” after latest prices for World Cup tickets began to circulate on Thursday.
The governing body allocates 8% of tickets to national associations for games involving their team to sell to the most loyal fans.
And a list published by the German soccer federation revealed prices ranged from $180-$700 for varying group stage games. The lowest price for the final was $4,185 and the highest was $8,680.
Those group-stage prices are very different from FIFA’s claims of $60 tickets being available, while the target from United States soccer officials when bidding for the tournament seven years ago was to offer hundreds of thousands of $21 seats across the opening phase of games.
Fan organisation Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described the current prices as “extortionate”.
“This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is,” it said in a statement.
The English Football Association shared pricing information with the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC) on Thursday evening, which showed that if a fan bought a ticket for every game through to the final it would cost just over $7,000.
FIFA said in September that tickets released through its website would initially range from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the final. But those prices are subject to change as it adopts dynamic pricing for the first time at the World Cup.
FIFA tickets are available in four categories, with the best seats in Category 1.
In the price list published by the German federation, there were only three categories.
The lowest priced ticket was $180 for Germany’s opening group game against Curacao in Houston. The lowest price for the semifinal was $920 rising to $1,125.
The FSE called on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales via national associations “until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found”.
FIFA launched its third phase of widespread ticket sales Thursday, with fans now able to apply for specific matches for the first time through its “Random Selection Draw”.
Following last week’s draw for the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, an updated schedule has been published.
That means fans know when and where the likes of Lionel Messi and Argentina will play. Previous ticket ballots were blind as the qualification period had not even been completed and the draw was yet to take place.
Now participating nations have been placed in groups, with their paths through the tournament determined. For instance, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could go on to meet in the quarterfinals in Kansas City if both Argentina and Portugal top their respective groups.
Not that fans are guaranteed to get tickets to the games they apply for.
The draw opened December 11 at 11am ET (1600 GMT) and closes January 13, 2026.
FIFA says ticket applications can be made at any point during this window and the timing of entry will not impact the chances of success. Fans can apply via FIFA’s website for a maximum of four tickets per household per match and a maximum of 40 tickets throughout the tournament.
Fans will need a FIFA ID to apply for tickets and can pick which matches and which pricing category they want to apply for.
Successful applicants will be notified by email in February and charged automatically.
The last time the US hosted the World Cup in 1994 prices ranged from $25 to $475. In Qatar in 2022 prices ranged from around $70 to $1,600 when ticket details were announced.
Tickets for the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 are already going for in excess of $11,000 on secondary resale sites.
For this tournament FIFA has also set up its own resale platform where it charges a 15% fee based on the total resale price.
FIFA said that closer to the tournament any remaining tickets will go on general sale on a first-come, first-served basis.
It did not reveal a time frame for the release of those remaining tickets.
Source: AP
12, December 2025
Francofools and the Indomitable Lions: Two squads named for AFCON 0
Uncertainty reigns as Cameroon prepare to head into the AFCON, which begins in just 10 days on December 21 in host nation Morocco. Cameroon see their campaign begin three days later on December 24 against Gabon, and there could be much controversy yet to come as Eto’o and Brys continue their public feud.
Mail Sport have shed light on the situation in Cameroon, where Eto’o recently marked four years as president of the Football Federation.
The former Barcelona and Chelsea striker has reportedly told the Belgian Brys that he has been relieved of his duties as manager of Cameroon, but he is reportedly ‘refusing the sack’ amidst claims that he has not been officially fired and remains under contract with the nation’s Ministry of Sport until December 2026.
He intends to lead the nation into the tournament, despite the fact that Eto’o has since appointed David Pagou as his replacement. The Cameroonian FA released their 28-man squad for the tournament with Pagou as manager on 1 December, omitting star names such as Andre Onana, ex-Bayern Munich striker Eric Choupo-Moting and Vincent Aboubakar – the latter of whom is just 12 goals away from surpassing Eto’o’s all-time goalscoring record for Cameroon.
Brys has suggested that this decision was, therefore, calculated by Eto’o, and has named his own conflicting squad for the upcoming tournament.
Brys hits out at ‘narcissistic’ Eto’o
“From the very first minute, he insulted me, and I reacted. I was too much of a competitor for him.”
Referencing the AFCON squad that excluded Onana, Choupo-Moting and Aboubakar, he added: “Eto’o had left key players and leaders out of the squad. Because, of course, he had made that selection.
“How can you go to the Africa Cup of Nations without a world-class goalkeeper? Or without Aboubakar? It’s unbelievable, but actually, it doesn’t surprise me. It’s coming from someone who is narcissistic and thinks he’s the best.
“As long as there is no signed note from the Presidency of the Republic appointing David Pagou as the coach of the Indomitable Lions, in the eyes of the State of Cameroon, Mr. Marc Brys remains. This is not up for discussion, and it has been this way in Cameroon for at least 30 years.”
Cameroon’s international struggles go beyond the feud between the high-profile pair, as the Indomitable Lions recently failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup, finishing below first-time qualifiers Cape Verde in Group D and then losing out to DR Congo in the CAF play-off semi-final to see their failure to qualify confirmed.
Eto’o himself has seen previous controversy during his time as president of the nation’s Football Federation. He was handed a six-month ban from attending national team matches by FIFA in 2024, after breaching two articles of the governing body’s disciplinary code. A FIFA statement confirmed the disciplinary breaches occurred around a FIFA Under-20 Women’s World Cup last-16 match between Brazil and Cameroon. Eto’o has also faced accusations of corruption and electoral fraud.
Eto’o and Brys have ‘butted heads’ throughout the pair’s tenure in charge, the Belgian threatening to quit last year after his assistant Joachim Munanga was left out of the federation’s official matchday list by Eto’o, who he believed did this to undermine his authority.
Source: Goal.com