Story by
Fifa accused of excluding disabled fans from 2026 World Cup with ‘unfair tax’
- Story by
- Fifa accused of excluding disabled fans from 2026 World Cup with ‘unfair tax’
Normally protected accessibility tickets for the 2026 World Cup are appearing on Fifa 's own resale site at more than six times the original face value, as Gianni Infantino has been asked if he still "feels disabled" – as he claimed in Qatar – in a strongly-worded letter from the Disability and Inclusion Fan Network of Football Supporters Europe.
The group express "profound concern" over ticket prices and companion charges that are likely to exclude supporters with disabilities from the 2026 World Cup. The issue is just the latest strand of another controversy engulfing Fifa , as the network pointed to how the world governing body are going against their own statutes, as well contradicting the empathy that Infantino claimed to show in Qatar .
Advertisement
The letter points out a number of problems with tickets for supporters with disabilities, on top of the ongoing controversy about how general ticket prices are five times more than in 2022. Chief among the complaints are that accessibility tickets are not available in the cheapest Category 4 to national team fans through the allocation specifically given to each qualified nation (the Participation Member Association plan).
This is described as "completely unprecedented", since wheelchair and accessible seating has typically been priced in the lowest category or at a reduced rate in recognition of the additional barriers and costs faced by supporters with disabilities. For example, such tickets were priced at €10 in Qatar, with a free companion ticket.
Additionally, the network describe "Fifa's incomprehensible decision" to charge companions as a first in the history of the World Cup. The letter similarly points to United Nations guidance on best practice for working on disability rights.
"For many supporters with disabilities, attending a match without a companion is not a choice but an impossibility" the letter says, before saying companions allow "fans with disabilities to access the stadium safely and with dignity".
The 2026 World Cup is taking place in USA, Canada and Mexico (AP)
This is described as "an unfair tax" on people with disabilities, leaving them with only two options: "pay twice the amount or stay at home".
Advertisement
Accessibility Tickets are also already appearing on Fifa's official resale platform without any price cap, some at six times their original face value, undermining the purpose of the tickets.
"We urge Fifa to address this issue as a matter of priority," the letter reads.
The letter argues all of this contradicts Fifa's claim that the 2026 World Cup will be "a groundbreaking event that sets new standards in diversity and inclusion", while going against the governing body's own statutes on human rights, inclusion and accessibility.
Infantino's notorious speech in Qatar is also pointedly referenced.
Advertisement
"At your press conference in Doha in 2022, you stated: 'Today I feel disabled.' This sentiment is evidently not aligned with Fifa's current World Cup 2026 pricing policy. True inclusion is not symbolic or mere words: it requires action that recognises structural disadvantage and removes barriers rather than reinforcing them."
Gianni Infantino famously claimed at the 2022 World Cup 'today I feel disabled' (Getty Images)
Article 3 of the Fifa Statutes: "Fifa is committed to respecting all internationally recognised human rights and shall strive to promote the protection of these rights."
Article 4 of the same Statutes makes clear that "discrimination of any kind against a country, private person or group of people on account of (…) disability (…) is strictly prohibited." In Fifa's Human Rights Policy, it is explicitly mentioned that "where Fifa may have adverse impacts on the human rights of people belonging to specific groups or populations that require special attention, it will also consider other international standards (…) in particular those standards concerning (…) disabled people."
Advertisement
The letter argues the current pricing structure is in total contradiction with these commitments, while also being difficult to reconcile with international human rights standards.
Football Supporters Europe's call to halt sales is echoed, as the network also urge Fifa to:
-
Review and substantially reduce the price of the tickets allocated to supporters with disabilities
-
Impose a strict cap on the resale of Accessibility Tickets on Fifa 's platform so that they cannot be offered above face value
-
Reconsider the decision to charge for companion tickets and reinstate them as free of charge
-
Engage directly with supporters' representatives with disabilities to ensure ticketing policies are fair, inclusive, and aligned with lived experience.
