German FA regrets high ticket prices for 2026 World Cup

The German Football Federation (DFB) has expressed regret about high ticket prices for its fans at next year's World Cup but said the prices were set by the ruling body FIFA.

"The World Cup is a long way away from Germany, and attending the tournament involves considerable effort and high travel costs. That's another reason why we would have liked to see cheaper tickets for our fans," DFB managing director Andreas Rettig told dpa on Friday.

Fans who want to watch Germany's matches at the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada via the DFB's contingent of 8% of the tickets per games will have to pay at least €155 ($180) for the first group match against Curacao on June 14 in Houston.

The cheapest ticket for the second match in Toronto against Ivory Coast is €190, and it is €230 for the last group match in East Rutherford against Ecuador.

In the price list published by the DFB on Thursday, the cheapest ticket for the final on July 19 in East Rutherford is listed at €3,580.

A German fan who wants to watch all matches including the final would be set back at least €5,975.

"The admission fees are set solely by FIFA; the DFB has no influence on this. We were only informed of the prices a few hours before the start of the application process," Rettig said.

The DFB still hopes that their fans will snap up the allocated 4,307 tickets for the Curacao match, the 2,552 against Ivory Coast and 4,826 against Ecuador.

Rettig said that the DFB will try to support fans on site at the tournament.

"What we can influence to some extent are the conditions for fans at the venues," Rettig said.

Here, we try to offer the best possible service and provide quick support for any questions or problems that may arise on site, among other things through the fan embassy at the venues, fan representatives at the venues and stadiums, and a supporting programme for fans."