Tickets originally purchased by England fans for Monday’s World Cup last-16 clash against Mexico are appearing on Fifa’s official resale portal at staggering prices.
The Football Association has confirmed the tickets were purchased through the England Supporters’ Travel Club ballot after the draw was made in December.
The most expensive tickets currently listed are four grouped together, each carrying a face value of $605 (£460) but now priced at $30,000 (£22,800) apiece.
A 15% Fifa buyer fee takes the total cost to $34,500 (£26,220), representing 57 times the original face value of the tickets.
Sellers must also pay Fifa a 15% fee of $4,500 (£3,420), though they would still pocket a profit of $25,500 (£19,380) per ticket sold.
The cheapest ticket available on the portal carries a total cost of $3,448 (£2,620), up from a face value of just $295 (£224), nearly 12 times the original price.
As of Friday morning, 76 tickets were listed across supporter categories behind the goal in the England section of the Azteca stadium.
The Football Supporters’ Association condemned Fifa’s “greed” but made clear it “can’t excuse supporters” who have listed their tickets at “ridiculous prices.”
“Fifa has deliberately designed an online exchange which allows tickets to be sold at vastly inflated prices with world football’s governing body grabbing 15% of the money from both the buyer and the seller,” a statement from the organisation read.
“In Fifa’s world, greed is good, and they’ll reap the rewards,” the statement continued, pulling no punches over how the governing body has structured its resale system.
The Football Supporters’ Association also called on Fifa to give the FA greater control over the official allocation, as it does for the cheapest category four tickets, to protect supporters.
“While we have always called out Fifa for ripping off fans at this World Cup, we can’t excuse supporters who choose to tout their own tickets at ridiculous prices either,” the statement added.
“If tickets are sold via Fifa’s platform those individuals aren’t necessarily breaking any rules but it’s not how we think fans should treat one another,” the association concluded.
The FA cannot restrict the resale of tickets because it is permitted under Fifa’s own rules, leaving supporters with little official recourse against the inflated listings.
The ESTC, which costs £65 a year for renewing adult members, was given an allocation of 3,000 tickets for the match at the 80,824-capacity Azteca, a figure that cannot be increased.
In total, 4,373 members applied for a ticket, meaning demand significantly outstripped the available supply for the eagerly anticipated fixture.
ESTC members accumulate caps by attending matches home and away, with those holding the most caps receiving priority access to the best games and cheapest tickets.
Any supporter who had accumulated at least 27 caps was guaranteed a ticket at face value ahead of the ballot process.
The tickets could only be listed on the resale portal once England’s place in the last 16 was confirmed on Wednesday evening, following their victory over DR Congo in the round of 32.
Shortly after the fixture was updated on Fifa’s resale site, 63 ESTC tickets appeared almost immediately, rising to 76 by Friday morning.
The game in Mexico City kicks off at 01:00 BST on Monday and will be broadcast live on BBC One.
