AN ENGLAND superfan has been left fuming with his World Cup dream in tatters after Fifa announced their ticket prices.
Paul ‘Tango’ Gregory can boast to loyally following the Three Lions home and away for four decades, last missing a match in the 1980s.
He has gone to more than 400 consecutive matches and 17 major tournaments but that extraordinary run looks set to come to an end at the 2026 World Cup.
That is because Fifa’s astronomical match tickets have priced him out of the knockout stages.
Tango and other England fans must fork out at least £526 to attend every group game — with the most expensive ticket costing £523 for the opener against Croatia.
That is pricier than a ticket for the 2022 World Cup final, with next summer’s showpiece tickets costing between £3,129 and £6,489.
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Tickets for the knockout phase start at £175 for the last 32 but increase to £688 for the semi-final — which is too rich for Tango and many England supporters.
He told SunSport: “It’s appalling. A lot of fans who were planning to go now won’t be able to.
“I was going to apply for tickets but not at those prices. It’s killing the sport and it’s pure greed.
“We’ve booked our flights and accommodation for the group stage but, after that, I think we will be watching on TV.
“I think it’s killed everybody’s World Cup off before its even started. It’s a working man’s sport but they have absolutely killed it with the prices.
“You just cannot justify paying that sort of money, even though you’ve been going for years, to watch football matches.
“It’s like paying off a big chunk of your mortgage. I think there will be a lot of empty stadiums.”
If England reach the final, fans will spend at least £5,245 to watch their team every step of the way.
In Qatar, the cost was £1,194 — though with one fewer match.
Fans were able to buy tickets for every match in one swoop for the last World Cup, with Fifa refunding the cost in full if their team did not qualify for the next round.
There are fears that Fifa could take back ten per cent of the fee this time, meaning fans of the 46 countries that fail to reach the final will be out of pocket even without attending every match.
Football’s governing body has confirmed it will take a 15 per cent commission on resale tickets from both the seller and buyer.
Tango has already booked flights and accommodation for each of England’s group matches in Dallas, Boston and New York/New Jersey.
He also plans to watch the two warm-up friendlies but Fifa — led by president Gianni Infantino — is yet to announce which city they will be in, so Tango is unable to book his flight across the pond.
A plane ticket to Miami, one possible destination, cost £250.
Tango had budgeted £1,400 for his trip — including the three group games, internal flights, accommodation and return flights to and from America.
But with the location of the warm-up matches still to be announced, Tango faces having to spend a lot more, with flights from London to Dallas in June ranging from £374 to £468.
Tango added: “I don’t know anybody who says they are going to buy a ticket for the final now.
“We’ve done all the qualifiers to make sure we can get the caps to go over there, thinking it would be sorted out where the loyalty towards the supporters would be gifted back. But there’s just no loyalty from Fifa.
“It’s just an absolute joke. It’s been a circus from the start until now. I dread to think what it will be like when we go over there.”
The ballot to apply for tickets opened this week and runs until January 13.
Once complete, a lottery decides which fans are successful, with the England Supporters’ Travel Club given priority.
The Football Supporters’ Association, along with Football Supporters Europe, slammed prices.
A joint-statement read: “The prices set for the 2026 World Cup are scandalous, a step too far for many supporters who passionately and loyally follow their national sides at home and abroad.
“Everything we feared about the direction in which Fifa wants to take the game was confirmed — Gianni Infantino only sees supporter loyalty as something to be exploited for profit.
“If you are ‘lucky’ enough to reserve the cheapest ticket for the final you’ll need to hand over $4,185, approximately £3,200 — that’s £35 per minute of the game.
“Fifa call this the ‘Supporter Value’ category — that’s a laughable insult to your average fan.”
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