England supporters have expressed disbelief after FIFA allocated fewer tickets for the Three Lions’ opening World Cup match than for Curacao, the smallest nation ever to qualify for the tournament.
For England’s Group L opener against Croatia in Dallas on June 17, just 4,022 tickets have been made available to supporters — an allocation matched only by Croatia. The figure has raised eyebrows given the scale of England’s travelling fanbase, with hundreds of thousands expected to head to the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.
By contrast, Curacao, a Dutch Caribbean island with a population of around 156,000, has received 4,307 tickets for its first-ever World Cup match against Germany in Houston on June 14 — 285 more than England. If Curacao sells its full allocation, roughly one in every 36 residents could be in attendance, compared with one England fan per 14,570 people.
Supporters have voiced frustration, arguing that FIFA has failed to reflect England’s global following.
«This takes the biscuit,» said Neil Robinson, an England and Arsenal fan from Watford. «We’ll take more fans than any other nation, yet we’ve been given fewer tickets than a tiny island.»
Fifa says around eight per cent of each stadium’s capacity is allocated to supporters of each team, regardless of country size. However, the policy has done little to ease concerns, particularly with resale prices reportedly reaching £10,000.
An FA source indicated the governing body may approach FIFA to request additional tickets once the initial allocation sells out. England will also face Panama and Ghana in Group L.
