Scotland boss Steve Clarke has warned fans against taking on financial debt to travel and support the team at next summer’s World Cup.
The national boss described the country as gripped by “World Cup fever” since qualifying for the finals for the first time in 28 years with an unforgettable 4-2 win over Denmark at Hampden Park in November.
Scotland have been drawn against Brazil, Morocco and Haiti in Group C, with tickets costing between £134 to £524. The Association of Tartan Army Clubs (ATAC) branded the costs “disgraceful and disgusting”.
Speaking on the day that supporter club members can apply for tickets against Haiti and Morocco in Boston, as well as the fixture against Brazil in Miami, Clarke pleaded with the fanbase to not exceed their financial capabilities to attend the tournament.
Fans who do not receive any through the Scotland Supporters Club will have to deal with FIFA’s dynamic pricing model and resale costs.
“We can’t control the prices,” Clarke told Sky Sports News. “Listen, it’s expensive to go to America anyway.
“If you can afford to go, then great. But if you can’t afford to go, then understand it. Don’t put yourself and your family into debt.
“The tickets are set. The ticket prices are set with FIFA. My biggest wish is that people don’t put themselves into too much debt trying to get there.
“Even if you’re going on holiday to America, you need to save up and you need to save up and you need to save up to get across the Atlantic and have your holiday there. So it’s always going to be an expensive World Cup.
Scott McTominay leads Scotland’s celebrations at the full-time whistle of their sensational victory over Denmark
“I think that’s a big thing for me. I’d like to think that with the smaller allocation that we’ve got, that a lot of the fans will travel everywhere. I’m talking about going to the far-flung places, but maybe only 1,200 people will turn up.
“I’d like to think that all those fans have got the chance to have a ticket to get to some of the matches.
“I’ve known some of them, not very well, but I’ve known them and have seen them around the place. I’m quite sure they’ll find some great ways to do that.”
Scotland have qualified for the World Cup for the first time since 1998
Why are tickets so expensive?
Football Supporters Europe (FSE) stated that rather than adopting a standard price across all group matches, pricing appeared to have been calculated “dependent on vague criteria such as the perceived attractiveness of the fixture”.
Dynamic pricing will be used in some phases of World Cup ticket sales. However, the governing body has confirmed that it will not apply during the main ballot. The price you see at the start of the window will be the same at the end.
The official 2026 World Cup bid said the cheapest tickets all the way through the tournament would range from $21 (£15) to $128 (£96).
Tickets for the Euro 2024 final between England and Spain in Berlin were available from £83.
Scotland head coach Clarke has guided Scotland to two European Championships, plus the World Cup next year
What has FIFA said?
FIFA is refusing to comment after releasing the World Cup ticket prices although it did say that there had been five million ticket requests in 24 hours, which “underlines soaring global demand”.
FIFA’s position on ticket prices has always been that it is a non-profit organisation and any money it makes from ticket sales is reinvested in football.
‘Pricing is not just unpopular, it’s misjudged’
Meanwhile, the Scottish Football Supporters Association (SFSA) have written to SFA CEO Ian Maxwell, regarding ticket pricing after revealing they have been inundated with correspondence from members.
Whilst recognising the SFA’s limited direct influence over FIFA’s pricing strategy, the SFSA say the national association should “formally and robustly convey to FIFA the depth of anger and alienation this has caused”.
They added that “the current pricing and allocation framework is not merely unpopular; it is fundamentally misjudged”.
