Ghana’s government spent about 1.26 million dollars on 2,922 spectator tickets for the Black Stars’ group-stage matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Sports and Recreation Minister Kofi Iddie Adams told Parliament’s Select Committee on Youth and Sports on 17 September 2026.
The tickets were bought for the fixtures against Panama, England and Croatia. They were not purchased for commercial resale. The 10 percent administrative charge FIFA allows on face value was included in the total.
Of the 2,922 seats, 948 were for Panama, 1,000 for England and 974 for Croatia. That works out at roughly 431 dollars a ticket. The scheme stopped after the group stage. Ghana later met Colombia in the Round of 32 in Kansas City, and those seats were not part of this purchase.
FIFA sold the inventory in bands. Category 1 tickets for Panama had a face value of 450 dollars and cost 495 dollars after the surcharge. England Category 1 seats were 600 dollars on the face and 660 dollars paid. Croatia Category 1 seats were 500 dollars on the face and 550 dollars paid. Large blocks of supporter Premier or Premium, Standard, Value and Entry tickets filled out each allocation. For Panama the published mix was 100 Category 1 and 249 Premier seats at 495 dollars, 199 Standard at 418 dollars, 250 Value at 154 dollars and 150 Entry at 66 dollars. For England it was 100 Category 1 and 300 Premier at 660 dollars, 200 Standard at 473 dollars, 250 Value at 242 dollars and 150 Entry at 66 dollars. For Croatia it was 100 Category 1 and 306 Premium at 550 dollars, 280 Standard at 440 dollars, 200 Value at 198 dollars and 150 Entry at 66 dollars. The Croatia subcategory counts in one detailed report do not add exactly to 974, so those lines should be read as the category mix as reported rather than a fully reconciled invoice. The official totals remain 948, 1,000 and 974 and a combined spend of about 1.26 million dollars.
Adams said the seats went to members of the Ghana Supporters Union, Ghana’s High Commissions in the United States and Canada, Ghanaians already living in the diaspora, the Ghana Students Association, the official government delegation and selected Ghana Football Association officials.
Sponsors had earlier received allocations according to the size of their support. Engineers and Planners, described as the largest corporate backer at about two million dollars, was said to have received between 40 and 70 tickets a match. Smaller donors received fewer.
A public raffle and recognised supporter unions were also used. Adams has said no Members of Parliament, ministers or chief executives were government-sponsored to the tournament and that constituencies were not given quotas. Release ran through FIFA’s mobile ticketing system, with final authorisation held at the ministry. FIFA rules and United States law allowed some secondary-market activity by holders; that is separate from the government’s purchase policy.
The original plan was to send about 800 supporters from Ghana and give leftover seats to other Ghanaians. Visa processing failed at some centres. The committee then decided not to send an official supporter party to Canada.
Tickets linked to that fixture were redirected to Ghanaians already in Canada and the wider diaspora, while travel from Ghana concentrated on the United States matches. Adams later apologised to diaspora fans who thought every Ghanaian at the stadium would receive a government ticket. The scheme was always a limited allocation. Demand far exceeded supply.
Those three matches decided whether Ghana stayed in the tournament. The Black Stars beat Panama 1-0, drew 0-0 with England and lost 2-1 to Croatia, finishing third in Group L on four points and advancing as one of the best third-placed teams in the 48-nation field. Colombia beat them 1-0 in Kansas City in the Round of 32, Jhon Arias scoring in the 14th minute. Ghana finished 24th of 48 teams, its first World Cup appearance since missing Qatar 2022. Nine of Africa’s ten sides reached the last 32. The government ticket programme therefore covered the group games that kept Ghana alive, not the knockout match that ended the campaign.
The 1.26 million dollars sits inside a larger bill. Government released 58.9 million cedis from a 150 million cedi World Cup provision to pre-finance participation because FIFA money arrives after the tournament. Finance Minister Cassiel Ato Forson later said the state would recover that advance once FIFA paid.
Players were reported to be entitled to 100,000 dollars each in appearance fees, about 2.6 million dollars for a 26-man squad. Payments to the technical team and other staff from a five million dollar advance were put at about 4.67 million dollars. Bonuses were still unpaid in September because of tax questions.
Adams told the committee Ghana expected about 12.5 million dollars from FIFA by the end of September 2026 after tax arrangements with the host countries, money that by law is to go into the Sports Fund through the GFA. Exit in the Round of 32 yields less than a deeper run would have.
After the hearing, Ranking Member Vincent Ekow Assafuah asked for line-item spending on flights, hotels, local transport, laundry, camps, catering, security and tickets; a full account of the 2,922 seats allocated, used, unused, transferred or resold; the criteria used to choose supporters who were facilitated to travel, a figure the Minority has put at 431 people, some of whose costs included air tickets, match tickets, transport, lodging and stipends; and the dates, bank accounts and recipients for every donation.
The programme covered the group stage only, so fans paid their own way once Ghana reached the last 32