England tickets for World Cup opener still available as FIFA face fresh embarrassment

England tickets for World Cup opener still available as FIFA face fresh embarrassment England's World Cup opener with Croatia is still not sold out still as hundreds of unsold tickets remain on the market as FIFA face the prospect of another stadium with empty seats England's World Cup opener with Croatia still has hundreds of tickets available as FIFA face the prospect of more empty seats at another big game. FIFA's approach to ticketing for the tournament has been widely criticised for months and already is proving counter productive with thousands of empty seats on show in the World Cup's second game featuring South Korea and the Czech Republic on Friday morning. England was among the best supported nations, but the sky high ticket prices mean their opening game is not sold out - just five days out from kick-off. Hundreds of tickets are still available on official and unofficial resale platforms. The lowest price for a ticket is $867 (£648), with fans able to go all the way up to $9,225 (£6,900) for a ticket and meal package that has access to a VIP lounge. Meanwhile, hospitality tickets on the FIFA website range from $2,430 (£1,811) to $3,150 (£2,347). Tickets for England's other group games are clearly in similar situations to their opener. On one resale website there is still availability for their second group, which is against Ghana in Boston. They range in price from £423 all the way to £4,354. For the following match against Panama, the lowest price for a ticket via resale is £513, rising up to £6,678. FIFA have repeatedly defended their position regarding their approach to ticket, yet were forced to bring some prices down in an attempt to entice more supporters to the tournament. Gianni Infantino said this week: "Every dollar that comes in goes back into the development of football. We have one competition every four years that generates revenue. That 47 other months we are investing this revenue in the growth of the game, nobody else is doing that. This allows us to maintain free TV, we could put everything on pay and generate £30billion probably, but then you have billions around the world who can't watch the World Cup." Tickets for some of the least popular group stage matches remain on sale for more than $300 (£223). That is before accounting for the other costs that come with supporting your nation abroad, including flights and accommodation, with those prices also seeing huge increases. Back in February FIFA was warned by the Football Supporters Association's Fan Embassy who said: "Surprise surprise FIFA are finding out that supporters will turn their backs on ludicrous prices, however prestigious the game. Thousands of pounds for any football match is beyond greedy," a statement said. "The most loyal fans, be they English supporters or those of any other nationality, are being priced out. FIFA needs to change direction. Atmosphere free stands shorn of fans from across the planet do not make a 'World' Cup." Join our new WhatsApp community and receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read our Privacy Notice. Sky is knocking 20% off its entire range of Glass TVs to mark the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Until June 17, shoppers can upgrade to the Sky smart TV that's 'designed for football' from £4.50 per month when taken alongside a Sky TV and Netflix package.