Two Euro 2028 tickets to cost less than parking at 2026 World Cup

The cheapest tickets for Euro 2028 in the UK and Ireland are set to cost under £30 – a stark contrast to prices at the upcoming World Cup.

UEFA committed to ensuring that 40 per cent of tickets are in the ‘most affordable categories’.

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At EURO 2024 in Germany, UEFA set prices in the cheapest group at £26 and £52, with plans to keep prices similar at the following tournament.

And it’s reported at the next Euros, which takes places in England, Scotland, Wales and the Republic of Ireland, that 15 per cent of tickets will be available for £30 or less and a further 25 per cent will cost below £60.

This measure is at odds for what English football fans experience when watching their clubs with ticket prices on the rise.

For Premier League teams, the main source of revenue comes from broadcasting deals and commercial sponsorship.

Yet clubs have focused on increasing matchday revenue with fans paying a hefty price as these teams target tourists who are willing to pay a premium.

Liverpool recently caused outrage. While major expansions at Anfield increased the ground’s capacity to 61,000, but the number of season ticket holders remains the same.

This allows the Premier League champions to sell nearly 50 per cent of tickets on a match-by-match basis, enabling the Reds to target neutral fans and tourists who are willing to spend more on the matchday experience.

Additionally, hospitality is not designed for the average fan with the most expensive option at the Etihad for Manchester City‘s upcoming fixture with Arsenal on April 19 available for £5,500.

By comparison, the prices for the World Cup were first released last December on general sale with prices ranging from $140 (£106) which emerged as the cheapest to $8,680 (£6,564) for the final.

Additionally, a ticket stateside is just the beginning – parking in Texas at the AT&T Stadium would cost $75 (£57) – the same price as two Euro 2028 tickets.

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FIFA began a minor price decrease after a major uproar from fans, allowing just ten per cent of fans in a qualified nation to get the cheapest tickets which are fixed at $60 (£45).

The tournament’s ticket prices were initially seven times more expensive than the World Cup in Qatar until a cheaper option was created.

There are also no concessions for children, seniors or other groups.

A summer of ‘soccer’

This summer will be the first time a tournament has three host countries (USA, Mexico and Canada) and will be an opportunity for America to show its growing love of football.

When the country hosted its first tournament in 1994, a poll found that 71 per cent of America didn’t know it was happening and the other 29 per cent didn’t care.

This time, the demand for tickets is vastly different, with FIFA receiving 500 million ticket applications in the last lottery.

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FIFA president Gianni Infantino has a close relationship with Donald Trump which led to the US president receiving the inaugural ‘peace prize’.

FIFA’s final ticket window for the World Cup opens on April 1, with additional tickets being made available for general purchase.

There will be a record-breaking 104 matches due to an increase to 48 teams involved and every match is expected to be sold out.

Despite the demand still clearly being there for the World Cup, UEFA still took a subtle dig stating they’re committed to a ‘fair, transparent and fan-first ticketing process.’