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World Cup organisers on Tuesday announced a cheaper category of tickets after sustained criticism of the prices at the 2026 competition in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

FIFA, the governing body of world football, said in a statement that it had created “Supporter Entry Tier tickets set at 60 US dollars each and available for all 104 matches, including the final”.

It said the plan was “designed to further support travelling fans following their national teams across the tournament”.

FIFA said that the $60 (51 euros) tickets would be reserved for fans of qualified teams and would make up 10 percent of each national federation’s allotment.

Last week, fan group Football Supporters Europe (FSE) called prices “extortionate” and “astronomical”.

FSE said ticket prices were almost five times higher than in 2022 in Qatar.

READ ALSO: Dembele Scoops 2025 FIFA ‘The Best’ Men’s Player Award

“If a supporter were to follow their team from the first match to the final it would cost them a minimum of $6,900,” said the FSE.

FSE added that World Cup organisers had promised tickets priced from $21 in a bid document released in 2018.

Announcing the $60 tickets on Tuesday, FIFA said that national federations “are requested to ensure that these tickets are specifically allocated to loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams”.

FIFA also said that if fans bought tickets for games in the knock-out rounds only to find their team eliminated at earlier stage, they “will have the administrative fee waived when refunds are processed.”

It added that it was making the announcement “amid extraordinary global demand for tickets” with 20 million requests already submitted.

The draw for tickets of all prices in this first round of sales will take place on Tuesday, January 13.

FIFA has unveiled the 2025 The Best Men’s and Women’s 11, celebrating the standout performers in world football over the past season.

The announcement was made on Tuesday at the awards ceremony held in Doha, Qatar, with Paris Saint-Germain dominating the men’s selection.

Six players from PSG’s Champions League-winning squad were named in the Men’s 11 after helping the French side lift their maiden UEFA Champions League title and reach the final of the FIFA Club World Cup.

RAD ALSO: Dembele Scoops 2025 FIFA ‘The Best’ Men’s Player Award

Goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma, now with Manchester City, was picked alongside Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho, Nuno Mendes, Vitinha and Ousmane Dembélé.

Club World Cup adidas Golden Ball winner Cole Palmer also earned a place in the team, while 18-year-old Spanish sensation Lamine Yamal was included following a breakthrough season.

#TheBest FIFA Men’s 11 in 2025. ✨

The Best FIFA Men’s 11 (2025)

Goalkeeper: Gianluigi Donnarumma
Defenders: Achraf Hakimi, Willian Pacho, Virgil van Dijk, Nuno Mendes
Midfielders: Cole Palmer, Vitinha, Pedri, Jude Bellingham
Forwards: Ousmane Dembélé, Lamine Yamal

FIFA said the men’s team was picked based on performances between 11 August 2024 and 2 August 2025.

Votes were cast by a panel of football experts and registered fans on FIFA.com, with both groups carrying equal weight.

In the women’s category, players from Spain and England dominated the 2025 The Best Women’s 11, with seven Spanish stars and four English players making the final selection.

The recognition followed an intense year at both club and international level. Spain and England faced each other in the UEFA Women’s EURO 2025 final, while Arsenal defeated Barcelona in the UEFA Women’s Champions League final.

Your #TheBest FIFA Football Awards 2025 winners! pic.twitter.com/tc95npfpyi

The Best FIFA Women’s 11 (2025)

Goalkeeper: Hannah Hampton
Defenders: Lucy Bronze, Leah Williamson, Irene Paredes, Ona Batlle
Midfielders: Aitana Bonmatí, Patricia Guijarro, Claudia Pina
Forwards: Alexia Putellas, Alessia Russo, Mariona Caldentey

Ousmane Dembélé has been named the 2025 FIFA The Best Men’s Player, following an extraordinary season with Paris Saint-Germain.

The France and Paris Saint-Germain attacker won the men’s FIFA Best award at a ceremony in Qatar on Tuesday, while Barcelona midfield maestro Aitana Bonmati collected the women’s prize.

FIFA announced the award on Tuesday, recognising the French forward’s instrumental role in PSG’s wins.

Dembele played a key part in the club’s first-ever UEFA Champions League triumph, scoring eight goals and providing six assists throughout their successful European campaign.

READ ALSO: Donnarumma Wins 2025 FIFA ‘The Best’ Men’s Goalkeeper Award

The 28-year-old’s form was also pivotal in PSG’s domestic dominance, as they secured a treble with victories in Ligue 1, the Coupe de France, and the Trophée des Champions.

He was named MVP of both the UEFA Champions League and Ligue 1 for the 2024/25 season, and was joint-top scorer in Ligue 1.

In addition to his club success, Dembele helped France secure third place at the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League. He was also part of the squad that reached the final of the inaugural FIFA Club World Cup™.

Dembélé enjoyed an outstanding 2024/25 season, winning the UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1, Coupe de France, and the Trophée des Champions with Paris Saint-Germain.

Ousmane Dembélé #TheBest pic.twitter.com/Rlotq3vWaE

He also finished as runner-up at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup and helped France secure third place in the 2024/25 UEFA Nations League.

Individually, Dembélé was also named UEFA Champions League Player of the Season, selected in the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season, awarded Ligue 1 Player of the Year, and included in the UNFP Ligue 1 Team of the Year.

The shortlist for The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award was drawn up by a panel of experts, based on performances from 11 August 2024 to 2 August 2025.

From this shortlist, votes were cast by men’s national team coaches, national team captains, football journalists, and fans on FIFA’s official website.

Voters selected their first, second, and third choices, with points awarded as follows: five points for first place, three for second, and one for third.

Selections from the four voting groups each accounted for 25% of the total vote.

In the event of a tie, the player with the most first-choice selections from national team captains would be awarded the honour.

The voting process was supervised by independent observers to ensure transparency.

Dembélé’s incredible achievements throughout the year earned him the highest number of points, making him the rightful recipient of the 2025 The Best Men’s Player Award.

Gianluigi Donnarumma has been named the 2025 FIFA The Best Men’s Goalkeeper, claiming the honour for the first time in his career.

FIFA announced the award on Tuesday, recognising the Italian’s outstanding performances during a trophy-laden season with former club Paris Saint-Germain.

Donnarumma played a decisive role in PSG’s UEFA Champions League triumph, keeping a clean sheet in their emphatic 5–0 victory over Internazionale in the final on 31 May 2025. He also delivered a series of commanding displays throughout the knockout stages.

On the domestic front, the 26-year-old helped PSG secure Ligue 1, the Coupe de France and the Trophée des Champions.

READ ALSO: Dembele, Yamal, Donnarumma, Biggest Winners At 2025 Ballon d’Or

The goalkeeper further featured in the squad that finished runners-up at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025.

Now plying his trade with Premier League giants Manchester City, Donnarumma finished ahead of fellow nominees Alisson Becker, Thibaut Courtois, Emiliano Martínez, Manuel Neuer, David Raya, Yann Sommer and Wojciech Szczęsny.

His key achievements during the assessment period include winning the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League, Ligue 1 and Coupe de France, lifting the 2024 Trophée des Champions, finishing runner-up at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, and earning a place in the UEFA Champions League Team of the Season.

The winner was determined from a shortlist compiled by a panel of experts, based on performances between August 11, 2024, and August 2, 2025.

Votes were cast by men’s national team coaches, captains, football journalists and fans on FIFA’s official website.

Each voting group accounted for 25 per cent of the final result, with nominees receiving points for first, second, and third-place selections.

The goalkeeper with the highest total points was declared the winner, with tie-breaks decided by the number of first-choice votes from national team captains.

Donnarumma was previously a runner-up for the FIFA THE BEST GOALKEEPER award in 2021.

Manchester United captain Bruno Fernandes told Portuguese media the Premier League club had wanted to sell him this summer after receiving interest from Saudi Arabia.

But the 31-year-old claimed manager Ruben Amorim still had him in his plans and that convinced him to stay at Old Trafford.

“My passion and empathy for the club were the same, but there comes a point where money becomes more important to them than you,” Fernandes told Canal 11, a channel owned by the Portuguese Football Federation, on Monday.

“The club wanted me to leave. I said it to the directors and I think they didn’t have the courage to make that decision because the coach wanted me.

“But if I had said I wanted to leave, even if the coach wanted me to stay, the club would have let me go.”

READ ALSO: Man United Forward Sesko Out ‘For A Few Weeks’

Fernandes, who has 103 goals in 307 appearances for Man Utd in all competitions since arriving in 2020, was also reportedly hurt by the club hierarchy’s willingness to part ways with him.

“The feeling I got from the club was, ‘if you leave, it’s not so bad for us’. That hurt me a little,” he said, according to comments reported on the website of Portuguese sports daily A Bola.

The playmaker said he had considered a move to Saudi Arabia, following in the footsteps of compatriot Cristiano Ronaldo who made the move to the kingdom in 2023 after his acrimonious departure from Old Trafford.

Nigeria’s dreams of making the 2026 World Cup may not be over yet! This is because FIFA is investigating the DR Congo over player eligibility in the play-off for the competition.

The Super Eagles lost to the Leopards of DR Congo in November in the final of the African playoffs for the competition.

But the Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) Secretary General Mohammed Sanusi told Channels Television that Nigeria has written to FIFA to investigate DR Congo’s use of ineligible players during the 2026 FIFA World Cup playoffs in Morocco.

Nigeria are accusing the Congolese FA of deceit in the clearance of players for their national team despite a contravention of the country’s citizenship rules. 

Sanusi told reporters that DR Congo’s laws forbids having dual nationality and said many of the country’s players at the playoffs had both Congolese and European passports. 

“FIFA cleared the players because FIFA’s eligibility rule is different from DR Congo’s rule. FIFA regulations say that once you have the passport of your country, you are eligible,” the NFF scribe said. 

“But our contention is that FIFA was deceived into clearing them. Because it is not the responsibility of FIFA to ensure that the regulations of DR Congo are being abided by. It was on the basis of what was presented to FIFA that the players were cleared. But we are saying it was fraudulent.”

READ ALSO: [W/Cup] DR Congo To Play Jamaica/New Caledonia In Intercontinental Playoffs (FULL FIXTURES)

The Super Eagles lost 4-3 in the final of the playoffs, ending their hopes of reaching the tournament in the US, Mexico and Canada. 

The Leopards will play the winners of the game between Jamaica and New Caledonia in the final of the intercontinental playoffs for a ticket to the World Cup.