Members of the Tartan Army agree that dynamic pricing for World Cup tickets should be given the red card.
The First Minister, John Swinney, has written to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) asking for fair and affordable tickets for all Scottish fans headed to the US in June.
He has sent a letter to FIFA President, Gianni Infantino, to condemn the “dynamic pricing” model which is making the tournament unaffordable for many members of the Tartan Army.
Mr Swinney said: “The Tartan Army are the greatest supporters in the world and follow Scotland around the globe. So it is incredibly disappointing that too many of them will be priced out of our first World Cup in nearly 30 years.
“I have written to FIFA to call for fair pricing – the World Cup is an event that should be available to as many people as possible.
“Football should be about fans, not finances.”
Anne Munro, a football fan from Edinburgh who has been a member of the Tartan Army (the official Scotland supporters organisation) since the 1990s, is travelling to the USA in June with her husband, brother and brother-in-law. Although she already has match tickets she said that taking the World Cup to the US has really led to the ordinary person being priced out of the game.
She said: “It is absolutely shocking. We always thought if the World Cup went to America it would be money-making the whole time, but this dynamic pricing has been absolutely awful. It does mean that ordinary fans who have been faithful in going to matches year in year out to see the games they are really missing out.
“There was not a big Scottish Football Association allocation so thousands are bound to lose out. When we went to France in 1998 we were lucky enough to get tickets for the opening game against Brazil. We were seated next to people who had no interest whatsoever in football, people who were models and the like. It was just sickening – they went but had no interest in watching the game at all – but they could afford the tickets.”
Anne confirmed that while she has tickets at fairly reasonable prices, there are others who have paid thousands, not really knowing if their sources are reputable or not.
Others on the Tartan Army message board agree that there have been limited tickets available, and the online process for buying them from FIFA has been frustrating. When the website opened for sales on 1 April, one said: “I would imagine we will all log on at 4pm will spend 2 hours in a waiting room only to find that once we finally get in, no Scotland tickets are available by then, if indeed any are available at all tomorrow. But let’s see.”
SFA pop up stores
The SFA has announced that a pop-up shop will open at the Gyle Shopping Centre and in Waverley Mall in the next couple of weeks. The shops will sell “officially licensed products” such as clothing, hats, scarves and flags.
Steven Romeo, Head of Retail, Scottish FA: “We’re thrilled to be bringing this exclusive shopping experience to Scotland fans. We know this summer is going to be unforgettable for the country, and we want help our supporters to celebrate this with a fantastic range of official products.
“While our kit and training wear will still be available exclusively from our official retail partner JD Sports, this pop-up shop is a perfect addition that will give fans find unique and special Scotland branded products.”
John Henderson, Founder and Owner, Born in Scotland: “As you would expect from a company called Born in Scotland, we are massive supporters of the Scotland National Team, and we are absolutely delighted to working with Promotional Warehouse and the Scottish FA in the build-up to the FIFA 2026 World Cup.
“We intend to bring our unique sense of theatre and retail magic to each and every Official Scotland Shop, and we’re confident Scotland supporters will get onside with the extraordinary range of official products we’ll have on offer.”
The full text of the First Minister’s letter is below:
“Dear Gianni Infantino,
“As you will know, this summer Scotland will return to the men’s World Cup for the first time since 1998.
“Our victory against Denmark led to the most remarkable scenes as people across Scotland celebrated one of the proudest moments in our recent sporting memory.
“Steve Clarke and the team have instilled a sense of confidence and pride in our country that only our national game can bring.
“That incredible moment for our nation will live long in the memory and in just a few months’ time thousands will embark on a trip to America to follow Scotland in our games against Haiti, Morocco and Brazil and, with a bit of magic from the boys, beyond that too.
“Our Tartan Army has the chance to see our men’s national team at a World Cup for the first time in decades, but our historic return has been marred by FIFA’s dynamic pricing model that has made the trip simply unaffordable for so many loyal supporters.
“This model has made this the most expensive World Cup in history and it is the opposite of what football, and indeed the biggest sporting occasion on the planet, should be about.
“Scotland fans, travelling across the globe, are entirely justified in calling for you to put an end to this pricing model, particularly during a cost of living crisis when people are really struggling. I am urging you to act to introduce a fair, affordable, ticketing model for fans going forward.
“Scotland gave birth to our beautiful game and its management has been entrusted to you.
“But as you know football belongs to fans.
“It is now imperative you take responsibility to ensure that remains the case.
“Yours sincerely,
John Swinney
First Minister of Scotland”
Scotland make the return to the World Cup after 28 years in Boston playing against Haiti on 13 June 2026.
