New Zealand players celebrate winning OFC Qualifiers Final at Eden Park Photo: Andrew Cornaga / www.photosport.nz
FIFA introduced on Tuesday (US time) a small number of US$60 (NZ$104) "Supporter Entry Tier" tickets, aiming to make next year's World Cup more affordable for fans of qualified teams.
Football's governing body said that the discounted tickets would cover all 104 matches of the tournament, including the final.
New Zealand has qualified for the tournament with more than 10,000 New Zealand fans having indicated to New Zealand Football that they are keen to attend.
The cheaper tickets will make up 10 percent of Participating Member Associations' (PMAs) allocations.
The PMAs, which represent competing national teams and manage dedicated fan ticket programmes, will handle the ticket allocation process.
They will also define their own criteria to prioritise tickets for "loyal fans" closely connected to their national teams.
"In total, half of each PMA's ticket allocation will fall within the most affordable categories: 40% under the Supporter Value Tier and 10% under the new Supporter Entry Tier," FIFA said in a statement.
"The remaining allocation will be split evenly between the Supporter Standard Tier and the Supporter Premier Tier," the statement added.
Fans who apply through PMA ticketing programmes and whose teams fail to progress to the knockout stage will have administrative fees waived for refund requests.
The announcement comes amid growing scrutiny of ticket pricing ahead of the 2026 tournament, set to take place from 11 June to 19 July 19 across Canada, Mexico, and the United States.
Last week, Football Supporters Europe (FSE) accused FIFA of imposing "extortionate" ticket prices that could prevent average fans from attending the event.
Despite the backlash, FIFA reported strong interest in the sale's third phase draw, which began on 11 December and will remain open until 13 January, driven by the release of match schedules, venues and kick-off times.
In a statement New Zealand Football said it had access to a set number of tickets, approximately 8 percent of stadium capacity for each match, to make available to fans, player families, and partners.
To make it as fair as possible to allocate the right to express interest in purchasing tickets, New Zealand Football has set up the Football Whānau Priority Pass for fans interested in attending the tournament to sign up to.
The All Whites have been drawn in Group G alongside Belgium (FIFA rank 8), Egypt (FIFA rank 34), and Iran (FIFA rank 20).
New Zealand will begin its FIFA World Cup 2026 campaign against Iran on 16 June, then Egypt on 22 June and Belgium on 27 June.
-Reuters / RNZ Sport