Football Australia will be able to issue $90 tickets to the Socceroos’ most loyal fans after FIFA agreed to reduce the price of some World Cup tickets following a global backlash.
However, there is still confusion over how fans can access discounted tickets, with around 500 potentially available for each Socceroos game.
FIFA said cheap tickets will be offered to the national federations in which the teams play for all matches in the tournament.
These federations will decide how to distribute past matches to fans watching at home or on the road.
Some fans are getting $90 seats to the finals instead of paying $6,300.
Cheaper tickets labeled ‘Supporter Entry Tier’ account for 10% of the federation’s quota, which itself varies depending on the size of the stadium.
The “Participant Association” quota is 8% of the stadium capacity for each match in each country.
Australia’s group games will be played in Vancouver (54,000 capacity), Seattle (69,000 capacity) and Santa Clare (71,000 capacity).
The FA will receive 432, 552 and 568 $90 tickets for matches against the UEFA playoff winners (Turkey, Romania, Slovakia or Kosovo), the United States and Paraguay, respectively.
The next cheapest ticket is about $400.
Australian Football Supporters Association president Patrick Clancy said while fans welcomed the changes to FIFA, he believed they were not yet enough.
“There’s still a lot of uncertainty about how fans will be able to access these tickets,” Clancy said.
“If Australian fans have already participated in the vote and applied, will they still have access to these tickets? Will they, you know, have to pay a higher price?
“To get a ticket, you have to participate in a voting system (by FIFA). It’s not first-come, first-served. Basically, you just hope for the best.”
Mr Clancy said the backflip from FIFA showed the sport’s world governing body had been “caught on the run”.
“The World Cup would not be possible without fans from all over the world,” he said.
“FIFA and the FA need to consult and listen to fans when making decisions about football and set policies and ticket prices that better meet the needs of fans.”
FIFA’s cuts follow a meeting of senior officials in Doha this week, where the federation is seen pushing back on its pricing model.
Last week, fans around the world reacted with shock and anger at FIFA’s ticket sales plan that would deny participating teams tickets in the lowest price category.
Co-organizers promised hundreds of thousands of $32 tickets when they bid for the tournament eight years ago.
FIFA has also come under heavy criticism for its ticket pricing strategy, which includes dynamic pricing, where prices rise based on demand, and for manipulating the process by acting as its own resale platform.
Socceroos fans also have access to a limited ticket allocation for World Cup matches through the “FA+” program, a $99 paid membership.
But Mr Clancy said there was no guarantee of securing tickets through membership and the FA indicated on its website that the application process was not on a first-come, first-served basis.
Clancy said fans who bought tickets before the price change also felt they were left in the lurch.
“There’s hope that people might be able to change their applications, but there’s a lot of uncertainty about what exactly will happen from now on.”
