Many fans were outraged after FIFA announced a record-breaking ticket prices for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. Prices have almost doubled on the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, with tickets set to cost up to $1460.

The greatest irony of it all, is FIFA saying it prices tickets for the World Cup with the aim of making it accessible to as many people as possible.

“We wanted to make sure that we priced tickets fairly to make the events accessible to as many people as possible. We therefore conducted thorough market research and have priced the tickets accordingly.” FIFA Secretary General Fatma Samoura said.

On top of the sky-high prices, fans are criticising the fact that they have to pay five-times more than Russian residents to attend matches. But if anything, that’s the only positive to come out of all of this - the World Cup has to remain accessible for local fans. 

What’s the point of hosting a tournament in a country without seeing any of its fans in the stadium?

Every nation consumes football in its own unique way and fans showcase what football means to their country when they turn out to support their team. 

Take Iceland fans at UEFA EURO 2016 for example, who introduced the world to their spine-tingling Viking chant.

It's understandable that supply vs demand inflates the price of World Cup tickets. But FIFA shouldn't shrug its obligation to bring football to people from all walks of life in the process.