Prime Minister Keir Starmer has called on FIFA to take further action after the world governing body introduced discounted World Cup tickets for a limited number of supporters following widespread anger over pricing. Fans who belong to national team travel clubs and loyalty schemes learnt last week that the most affordable tickets for the final would cost over £3,000, whilst England supporters wanting to follow their team from the opening match through to the final would face a minimum spend exceeding £5,000.

Nevertheless, FIFA has now revealed that 10 per cent of the participant member association (PMA) allocation for each fixture will be priced at 60 US dollars (£45), including for the final. The move follows discussions between senior officials in Doha this week, where federations, including the Football Association, are believed to have expressed concerns about the pricing structure.

Yet the concession seems to have done little to calm the fury amongst supporters, with one fan group describing it as “nothing more than an appeasement tactic”.

Starmer has now urged FIFA to go further, posting on X: “I welcome FIFA’s announcement of some lower priced supporters tickets.

“But as someone who used to save up for England tickets, I encourage FIFA to do more to make tickets more affordable so that the World Cup doesn’t lose touch with the genuine supporters who make the game so special.”

FIFA came under fire from supporter groups last week, with Football Supporters Europe (FSE) branding their actions a “monumental betrayal” of fans and calling on football’s global governing body to suspend the PMA allocation sale process.

The PMA allocation represents eight per cent of stadium capacity per country per match.

The FA had been handed just over 4,000 tickets for the opening clash against Croatia, meaning around 400 supporters could take advantage of the new £45 tickets, with a further 40 per cent able to secure the next cheapest options, priced significantly higher at £198.

For the final, approximately 450 of the 4,500 tickets would be on offer for £45.

A FIFA official familiar with the discussions revealed: “Demand for tickets has been off the scale, more than 20 million requests so far in this latest phase. We have listened to feedback and this new category is the right thing to do.

“Making 60-dollar tickets available to more fans, including the most loyal ones who travel, was agreed on unanimously.

“Associations will need to work out who best should receive them. It’s a unique tournament and a unique market in the USA, in particular, which allows resales on secondary platforms. The demand is sky high.

“No organisation does more to support the development of the game around the world than FIFA. All 211 associations, including the poorest countries, will benefit from a commercially successful World Cup.”

However, the Football Supporters’ Association’s Fans’ Embassy for England fans has urged FIFA to stop “playing PR games” and “set prices at a reasonable price for all supporters”.

The association stated on X: “FIFA have a track record of announcing ‘affordable’ headline prices that, in reality, aren’t available to the vast majority of fans.

“This appears to be a new version of that with the intention of relieving pressure on FIFA without fixing things for the majority of supporters.

“This is a step in the right direction, as it shows changes for good can be made, but it still leaves 90% of loyal, hardcore supporters paying ridiculous prices.”

FSE said “the revisions do not go far enough” and highlighted the lack of a pricing structure for disabled fans or complementary companion tickets.

A statement added: “For the moment we are looking at the FIFA announcement as nothing more than an appeasement tactic due to the global negative backlash.

“We call upon FIFA to engage in a proper dialogue to arrive at a solution that respects the contribution of fans and the dignity of fans with disabilities.”

The FA has been approached for comment.