The Ministry of Sports and Recreation spent approximately $1.26 million to procure 2,922 tickets for Ghana’s group-stage matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Parliament’s Youth and Sports Committee has been told.

The tickets cover Ghana’s fixtures against Panama, England and Croatia, with 948 tickets allocated for the Panama match, 1,000 for the England game and 974 for the Croatia fixture.

Appearing before the committee on Thursday, September 17, Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Adams said the tickets were not procured for resale.

He explained that the prices included a 10% administrative charge permitted by FIFA on the face value of the tickets.

“We spent about $1.26 million in the procurement of the 2,922 tickets,” he said.

For Ghana’s opening match against Panama, the Ministry purchased 100 Category One tickets, each with a FIFA face value of $450 and an actual cost of $495 after the administrative charge.

It also procured supporter premium, supporter standard, supporter value and supporter entry tickets at different face values.

For the England fixture, 1,000 tickets were purchased, including 100 Category One tickets with a face value of $600 and an actual cost of $660.

A further 974 tickets were procured for the Croatia match, including 100 Category One tickets valued at $500 each and costing $550 after the 10% charge.

How the tickets will be distributed

Mr Adams said the tickets were intended for a range of Ghanaian stakeholders, including members of the Ghana Supporters Union, Ghana’s High Commissions in Canada and the United States, Ghanaians living abroad, the Ghana Students Association, the official government delegation and selected Ghana Football Association officials.

He said the initial plan was to allocate more than 800 tickets to supporters, with the remainder distributed among other Ghanaians.

However, challenges encountered with visa applications at some visa centres prompted the Ministry to revise the allocation.

“The decision was taken that we will give many more of the tickets to Ghanaians who are already in the diaspora to be able to pay,” Mr Adams told the committee.

The Minister’s appearance before Parliament forms part of the scrutiny of the Ministry’s preparations and expenditure for Ghana’s participation in the 2026 FIFA World Cup.