Clarke slams FIFA's 'joke' ticket allocation as Scotland given just 4,000 World Cup seats

Scotland manager Steve Clarke has publicly condemned FIFA’s ticket allocation for the 2026 World Cup, calling it “a joke” and warning that the tournament’s pricing risks driving supporters into serious financial difficulty.

Speaking to The Telegraph, Clarke revealed that the Scottish FA were handed just 4,000 tickets for group-stage matches despite the venues involved holding up to 60,000 spectators. “The stadiums take up to 60,000 people, and the Scottish FA were only given 4,000 tickets,” he said. “I think that’s a joke. There’s nothing you can do about it, and it’s not right.”

Scotland, appearing at their first World Cup since 1998, face Haiti, Morocco and Brazil in the group stage — a historic return that Clarke has guided the nation to after also leading the Scots to the last two European Championships. Yet the milestone is being overshadowed by concern over whether supporters can actually afford to be there.

“The worst thing that people can do is put themselves into debt that they can’t get out of,” Clarke said. “It shouldn’t be as expensive as it is. Some people may go into debt but, as long as they can pay for it, recover it and pay it back without putting themselves through too much trouble.”

He added a broader warning about the direction of the sport: “Football needs to be careful that it doesn’t lose touch with the people that matter, and that’s the supporters.”

The cost of attending the tournament has been a flashpoint for months. Individual tickets can run into several hundred dollars, with accommodation and travel adding further pressure on travelling fans. FIFA’s pricing strategy has drawn criticism from supporters’ groups and prompted questions from figures in US politics.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the approach, arguing that the organisation operates within a US market where ticket prices are typically high and pointing out that FIFA generates revenue from just one World Cup every four years, with proceeds reinvested into the game.

The tension between commercial ambition and supporter access was already visible on the ground, with empty sections — particularly in VIP zones — clearly apparent during early fixtures at the Estadio Akron in Guadalajara.