FIFA denies ticketless entry reports as England fans allegedly breach security at World Cup opener

FIFA has issued a statement denying any knowledge of fans gaining entry to England’s opening World Cup fixture against Croatia without valid tickets, following eyewitness reports of security breaches at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Accounts cited by Mail Sport described significant gaps at ticket barriers, with one witness stating: “There were big gaps at the side of the ticket barriers and people just strolled through. There were volunteers who were basically old ladies and they weren’t stopping anyone.”

A FIFA spokesperson responded directly to the claims: “At this stage, we have no indication of fans entering the stadium without a valid match ticket for the game in question.”

The official attendance for the match was recorded at 70,389 — just below the 70,649 capacity confirmed by FIFA ahead of the tournament. The proximity of those figures has done little to settle the debate, with questions remaining over how accurately the crowd was counted.

Ticket pricing has been one of the most contentious issues surrounding this World Cup. The cheapest tickets available through England’s official supporter travel scheme were originally priced at £198 for the Croatia fixture. Following a fierce backlash from fans, FIFA committed to making 10 per cent of tickets per match available for 60 US dollars (approximately £45).

On the pitch, England produced a dramatic 4-2 victory in their Group L opener. Harry Kane scored twice — converting an early penalty before heading home a Declan Rice corner to draw level with Gary Lineker’s England World Cup goalscoring record — but Croatia twice pegged Thomas Tuchel’s side back, with Martin Baturina and Petar Musa both finding the net.

Assistant manager Anthony Barry was reported to have described England’s first-half display as “complicated and confusing” at the interval. The response in the second half was emphatic: Jude Bellingham restored England’s lead within two minutes of the restart, and substitute Marcus Rashford sealed the win late on despite Croatia goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic producing a series of fine saves.