The cost of following the beautiful game has become a bitter struggle for working families. Fifa, football’s global governing body, is under investigation over its pricing of World Cup tickets, with British supporters and MPs demanding transparency in a tournament that has priced out many ordinary fans.
The probe, launched by the Competition and Markets Authority, will examine whether Fifa breached consumer law by restricting ticket sales to loyal fans and forcing them into overpriced hospitality packages. For a family of four in Manchester or Liverpool, the cost of attending a single group match in Qatar 2022 could have exceeded £2,000. That is more than many households spend on food for a month.
“Football is the people’s game, but Fifa treats fans like cash cows,” said Kevin Miles, chief executive of the Football Supporters’ Association. “Our members saved for years to watch England, only to find tickets hoovered up by corporates or sold at eye-watering mark-ups. It’s a betrayal of the working-class roots of the sport.”
The investigation comes amid growing anger over the cost of living crisis, where every pound counts. A pint of milk, a loaf of bread, and a match ticket: all are becoming luxuries for millions. The FA has backed calls for reform, urging Fifa to guarantee a proportion of tickets at affordable prices for genuine fans.
Yet the problem is not new. For decades, football’s elite have jacked up prices, treating supporters as consumers rather than the lifeblood of the game. The Premier League, once a bastion of working-class culture, now charges Londoners £100 for a seat at a top match. World Cup tickets, however, are a different beast. Fifa controls supply and demand with iron grip, and its allocation system favours sponsors and travel agents over the man in the pub.
“This isn’t just about football. It’s about fairness,” said MP Clive Efford, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Football. “When a global governing body is investigated for ripping off fans, it sends a signal that no institution is above the law. British supporters deserve a tournament that is accessible, not a playground for the rich.”
The CMA’s investigation will focus on whether Fifa misled fans about ticket availability and used unfair contract terms. If found guilty, the organisation could face fines and be forced to change its sales practices. But for many, the damage is already done. The memory of empty seats at World Cup matches, while thousands of loyal fans watched from home, remains raw.
For Sarah from Leeds, who saved for two years to take her son to Qatar, the experience was a “nightmare”. “We ended up paying three times face value on a resale site,” she said. “Fifa didn’t care. They had their money. It was like the system was designed to squeeze every last penny out of us.”
Fifa has defended its pricing, arguing that World Cup tickets are “among the most affordable major sporting events” when compared to the Olympics or Super Bowl. But for a miner’s daughter in Barnsley, that comparison feels detached from reality. The union movement has long argued that sport should be a public good, not a profit centre. The Trades Union Congress has called for a windfall tax on Fifa’s revenues to fund grassroots football in deprived areas.
As the investigation unfolds, one thing is clear: the cost of football has become a class issue. The working class built the stands in the 19th century. Now they are being priced out of them. The CMA’s ruling will be watched closely not just in boardrooms, but in kitchens across Britain, where families are deciding whether to heat their homes or follow their team.
The ball is in Fifa’s court. But the fans are watching, and they will not be patient.
