By Chalien Dantes

Concerns are growing over access to World Cup tickets for disabled supporters, as a charity has called FIFA’s handling of the issue “unacceptable.”

 Disabled fans may have to pay more to attend matches because tickets in the cheapest tier of the general allocation are not available to them.

Personal assistants accompanying disabled fans are expected to pay full price, and FIFA cannot guarantee they will sit next to the person they are helping. Questions also remain over how many tickets will be offered to wheelchair users and how many easy access seats will be provided.

The charity Level Playing Field says it raised these concerns with FIFA over three weeks ago but has yet to receive a reply. The group has now reached out to national football associations and government officials, warning that the added costs make attending matches much harder for disabled fans.

FIFA has faced strong criticism over ticket pricing for the tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. After public pressure, it released a small number of “more affordable” $60 tickets for general fans, but no similar concessions have been made for disabled supporters. High prices have already affected England fans, with around 90% of final tickets offered to the FA costing £3,094, leaving some of their allocation unused.