FIFA introduced on Tuesday a small number of $60 "Supporter Entry Tier" tickets, aiming to make next year's World Cup more affordable for fans of qualified teams.
Football's governing body said that the discounted tickets would cover all 104 matches of the tournament, including the final.
The cheaper tickets will make up 10% of Participating Member Associations' (PMAs) allocations.
The PMAs, which represent competing national teams and manage dedicated fan ticket programs, will handle the ticket allocation process.
They will also define their own criteria to prioritize tickets for "loyal fans" closely connected to their national teams.
"In total, half of each PMA's ticket allocation will fall within the most affordable categories: 40% under the Supporter Value Tier and 10% under the new Supporter Entry Tier," FIFA said in a statement.
"The remaining allocation will be split evenly between the Supporter Standard Tier and the Supporter Premier Tier," it added.
Fans who apply through PMA ticketing programs and whose teams fail to progress to the knockout stage will have administrative fees waived for refund requests.
The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of ticket pricing ahead of the 2026 tournament, set to take place from June 11 to July 19 across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Last week, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) accused FIFA of imposing "extortionate" ticket prices that could prevent average fans from attending the event.
'STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION'
FSE director Ronan Evain told Reuters on Tuesday that while the new pricing was a step in the right direction, it was "clearly not sufficient".
He noted that following a team to the final would cost $480 under category four, but jumps to $6,900 for category three, meaning one fan "sitting in the same section" as another could pay 15 times more.
Evain also said there was a lack of transparency around ticket distribution.
"FIFA doesn't provide any guidelines or obligations for the PMAs. They have the freedom to choose how they distribute the tickets," he said.
According to the BBC, this will mean about 400 of the cheaper tickets will be available for England and Scotland in their group games, yet Evain said that most PMAs don't disclose the number of tickets.
FIFA said in its statement on Tuesday that PMAs were requested to ensure that these cheaper tickets were "specifically allocated to loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams".
Evain also raised concerns about accessibility for fans with disabilities. "The cheapest they can get all the way to the final is $7,000 and they also must pay full price for companion seats, meaning that following a team to the final could cost $14,000," he said.
Reuters has put Evain's points to FIFA for comment.
Despite the backlash, FIFA reported strong interest in the sale's third phase draw, which began on December 11 and will remain open until January 13, driven by the release of match schedules, venues and kick-off times.
