Shumita Basu

If you were hoping to catch a game at the upcoming Men's World Cup this summer, which is being hosted across the U.S., Mexico and Canada, then prepare for an uphill battle over tickets.

On Thursday, FIFA said it received more than half a billion requests for tickets in its most recent application window that closed this week, a record.

But it has already proven to be one of the most controversial tournaments in recent years, and it hasn't even begun yet.

It all centers on the way that FIFA has decided to sell their seats.

Henry Bushnell is a senior writer for The Athletic.

And those prices are far higher than any previous World Cup, costing hundreds of dollars, with the final running well into the thousands.

Now, FIFA says it's a nonprofit and it reinvests the money it makes into promoting and developing the game around the world.

But the decision has still generated a worldwide backlash from fans in other countries more accustomed to double-digit U.S.

dollar prices.

Take soccer-mad Scotland.

The country is appearing at the World Cup for the first time in nearly 30 years, and they're so excited that their government declared a national holiday to mark the first game.

But the ticket costs have enraged fans, even becoming a political issue.

Speaking to the BBC, Scottish lawmakers like Anas Sarwar have been demanding action against FIFA.

And that, Bushnell reports, illustrates a pretty wide cultural divide between fans in the U.S.

and fans abroad.

Bushnell says a lot could have been done to keep ticket prices affordable for a common fan, but so far this seems to be working out in FIFA's favor, given that 500 million people apply to purchase tickets.

For those still willing to spend and hoping to get a ticket, the first game on U.S.

soil is on June 12th in Los Angeles.

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