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One week on, and the unedifying spectacle of the Geopolitics World Cup tombola has faded, overtaken by the club game’s relentless news cycle. Mohamed Salah has taken a blowtorch to his immediate hopes of returning to the Liverpool starting XI; Real Madrid are apparently in crisis; and Celtic are bad again, their fans perhaps the first in history to dread an approaching cup final. There might be more of that next summer though, with the full scale of ticket prices for Gianni’s jamboree offering a sobering “slap in the face” for fans still celebrating qualification. Not our words, but those of the Football Supporters’ Association and its England Fans’ Embassy, which might sound like a Soccer AM bit, but is part of a European network offering “reliable and independent information to fans”.
So while Rio Ferdinand has been busy cross-referencing the draw footage with his script, and Julian Nagelsmann wonders why his Germany side are playing a drink in their opening game, fan groups have been crunching the numbers for travelling supporters – and they make for bleak viewing. On Thursday, it emerged that the cheapest ticket available for the final in – and you’ll like this – the “supporter value tier” will cost $4,185 (£3,120). Fans hoping to watch their team’s entire journey through the draw are looking at a minimum cost of about $7,000 (£5,240) – and that’s just for match tickets. Throw in the price of flights and accommodation, and most supporters are looking at an enormous £10,000 outlay – more than five times the cost of following your team in 2022. The Fifa chief suit appears to have finally got his wish: making us look back at the Human Rights World Cup with the tiniest degree of fondness.
