World Cup ticket prices have quickly become one of the defining controversies of the tournament, as fans have already faced expensive travel, costly stadium food and entry prices that keep climbing.
TicketData’s tracker showed the median final get-in price for the first 12 matches at $980, while remaining games had a median get-in price of $1,226. Some prices have risen despite empty seats being visible.
Paul Gascoigne has now added his voice to the debate. The former England and Tottenham midfielder did not hold back when speaking out on the cost of watching the tournament.
Paul Gascoigne blasts World Cup ticket prices
Gascoigne criticised the prices during an appearance on YouTube channel Clutch 9 Football.
He said: “What I don’t really like about the World Cup is the price of the tickets, it’s disgraceful.”
The former Tottenham star then joked about the extreme resale prices linked to the final.
Gascoigne added: “Someone said they’d paid a million quid to watch the final, a million quid for a ticket! He could’ve watched it at my house for half a million, he would’ve got a cup of tea and a biscuit and a decent cup of coffee.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the pricing by pointing to the US market and resale rules. He argued that lower original prices would simply allow resale tickets to be sold much higher.
Million-dollar World Cup tickets have not necessarily sold
The most eye-catching figures, such as the one mentioned by Gascoigne, need context.
Some final tickets have appeared on FIFA’s resale platform for more than $1 million, but that does not mean anyone has paid those prices.
Resale listings can change, sit unsold or disappear before matching a buyer.
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