The beautiful game has an ugly price tag, and British regulators want answers. Fifa, world football’s governing body, is under investigation for its pricing of World Cup tickets, with the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) demanding a full breakdown of how tickets are allocated and priced. This is not just a story about football. It is a story about market failure, regulatory overreach, and the uncomfortable truth that even global sporting bodies are not immune to the forces of demand and supply.
Let us start with the facts. The 2026 World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, has seen ticket prices skyrocket. The cheapest matches are priced at a staggering $44 for group games, but premium seats for the final could cost as much as $2,500. For British fans, this is a kick in the teeth. Sterling has weakened against the dollar, making these tickets even more expensive. The CMA, never one to miss an opportunity to flex its muscles, has launched a formal investigation into whether Fifa has abused its monopoly position.
Now, I am no fan of government intervention. Markets, left to their own devices, usually find an equilibrium. But Fifa is not a normal market player. It is a cartel. It controls the supply of the most sought-after sporting event on the planet. When supply is artificially constrained by a monopolist, prices will rise. That is basic economics. The question is whether Fifa has gone too far.
Let us look at the numbers. The average World Cup ticket price has risen by 30% since the 2014 tournament in Brazil. In 2018, Russia saw a 25% jump. In 2022, Qatar topped the charts with a 40% increase. The trend is clear: each tournament, the price of admission rises faster than inflation. Fifa claims this is down to increased costs of hosting, but let me be sceptical. Fifa’s revenues are booming. The 2022 World Cup generated over $7.5 billion in revenue, a 12% increase from 2018. That is a healthy return.
The CMA’s investigation centres on three areas: price transparency, allocation of tickets to national associations, and the secondary market. British fans have long complained that tickets are scarce and prices opaque. The CMA wants Fifa to disclose how many tickets are reserved for sponsors, corporates, and hospitality packages versus those sold to the general public. I suspect they will find that the general public gets the short end of the stick.
But here is the rub. Fifa is a Swiss private association, not a British company. The CMA’s jurisdiction is limited. It can investigate and recommend, but it cannot impose fines on a foreign entity. This is more about shaming than regulating. The British government, sensing a PR victory, is piling on. The Culture Secretary has called for “full transparency” and warned that fans must not be “priced out of the game.” This is political grandstanding. The government knows it has limited power here, but it wants to be seen as the consumer’s champion.
Let us not forget the secondary market. Touts and resellers are a plague on any major event. The CMA is also looking at whether Fifa does enough to combat ticket touting. The evidence suggests not. Websites like Viagogo and StubHub are awash with World Cup tickets at double or triple face value. Fifa has a ticket resale platform, but it is clunky and often fails to match supply with demand. The result: genuine fans pay through the nose.
There is a broader lesson here. The World Cup is a classic example of what economists call “rent seeking.” Fifa enjoys a monopoly on the most popular sporting event, and it is extracting maximum rent from consumers. The regulators, powerless to break the monopoly, can only demand sunlight. Sunshine, however, is a poor disinfectant when the market is rigged.
What will happen next? The CMA will publish a report in six months. Fifa will issue a statement promising to “review” its pricing structure. A few minor adjustments will be made, perhaps a small allocation of cheap tickets for local schools. But the overall structure will remain. Prices will continue to rise, and fans will continue to pay. The market, after all, always finds a way.
For British fans, the advice is simple: start saving now. The 2026 World Cup will be the most expensive ever. And unless the government is willing to take on Fifa in a real fight, that is not going to change. The beautiful game has a very ugly price.
