World Cup dreams are about to get a whole lot more expensive, leaving England fans seeing red (and not just the team colors!).

FIFA, the overlords of football, are dipping their hands deeper into fans' pockets than ever before, grabbing a slice of the resale market for the first time. This unprecedented move is set to make tickets for the 2026 World Cup the priciest in history.

How pricey? Try a staggering £1,000 just to get in the door. And that's before you factor in travel, accommodation, and enough pints to drown your sorrows (or celebrate a win!).

The grubby details? FIFA will be taking a hefty 30% cut of each resale transaction. That’s right, they're essentially taxing fans who are already struggling to afford tickets. Some are even going for close to £33,000!

England faithful are spitting feathers after discovering FIFA will be pocketing a 15% cut from BOTH the buyer AND the seller. Tickets often change hands online multiple times, meaning FIFA is raking in cash with every click.

This blatant cash-grab threatens to price out legions of Three Lions supporters desperate to cheer on Harry Kane and the boys in the US, Canada, and Mexico. It seems only the wealthiest will be able to afford the privilege.

Official websites are already showing tickets soaring above the £1,000 mark, even before the draw to see who England will play is even complete! Talk about highway robbery.

Adding insult to injury, the England Supporters Travel Club, boasting 27,000 members, will only receive a paltry eight percent of tickets at World Cup matches. That could mean as few as 3,600 tickets at some venues. That's a lot of disappointed faces!

While a lucky few will snag tickets for around £85-£125 for group games, many more will inevitably fall prey to the clutches of resale sites, where prices are astronomical.

Outraged England supporters are blasting FIFA, comparing the Geneva-based organization to a pack of greedy touts. One fan even branded them with a colourful NSFW acronym: “F***ing International Fans Again." Ouch!

Ordinary fans are despairing at how they can afford to watch England play. Some had planned on going to New York to catch a game, but can't afford the astronomical prices that would essentially require them to take out a second mortgage.

Another fan lamented that it seems every World Cup makes it more difficult for normal supporters to see their country, adding that £1,000 is about three weeks' salary for a measly 90 minutes of football.

England’s measly allocation could stretch to 6,400 tickets if they play in Dallas, or 6,600 in New York. But if they find themselves in Toronto, that number dwindles to a mere 3,600. Talk about a lottery!

The Football Supporters’ Association has warned fans that they'll be shelling out more than double what they spent at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Is any of this fair play?

A quick peek at reseller site Vivid Seats reveals a ticket for the World Cup Final next July is already listed for an eye-watering £32,967. They claim a Category One seat at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, complete with a hospitality package, is "selling fast." Who are these people?!

FIFA, currently led by Gianni Infantino, a buddy of former US President Donald Trump, claims they're governed by US laws that permit tickets to be resold at any price. Blame America, eh?

FIFA also justifies their 15% cut from both buyer and seller by saying it's to "deter" resales. But let's be real, it's just another way to line their already overflowing pockets.

According to one football insider, England fans who miss out on official tickets will be at the mercy of online touts, essentially paying a kickback to FIFA. The insider went on to say it would only benefit the “prawn sandwich brigade."

While FIFA claims their "dynamic pricing model" is standard practice in the US market, the reality is it's pricing out ordinary fans and turning the World Cup into an exclusive event for the super-rich.

A FIFA spokesman insists that ringfenced allocations "will be set at a fixed price for the duration of the next ticket sales phase." But will these fixed prices be any more affordable? Don't hold your breath.

FIFA insists they're focused on ensuring fair access to the game. But is a £33,000 ticket really "fair"? We think not.

So, England fans, brace yourselves. The road to the 2026 World Cup is paved with gold... for FIFA, at least. For the rest of us, it might be time to start saving – or just watch from the pub.

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