Match tickets originally bought by England fans for Sunday's World Cup last-16 clash ​against Mexico have been relisted for thousands ‌of pounds on FIFA's official resale portal, drawing sharp criticism from supporter groups.

England's Football Association (FA) confirmed the tickets were initially ​secured by members of the England Supporters' ​Travel Club via a ballot in December. The ⁠tickets for the Azteca Stadium clash became eligible ​for resale on Wednesday after England confirmed their progress ​with a 2-1 victory over DR Congo.

The Football Supporters' Association (FSA) strongly condemned the pricing.

"FIFA has deliberately designed an online exchange which ​allows tickets to be sold at vastly inflated ​prices with world football's governing body grabbing 15% of the money ‌from ⁠both the buyer and the seller," the FSA said in a statement to the BBC. "While we have always called out FIFA for ripping off fans at ​this World ​Cup, we ⁠can't excuse supporters who choose to tout their own tickets at ridiculous prices ​either."

FIFA had defended the system in an ​earlier ⁠statement.

“FIFA’s variable pricing ticketing approach aligns with industry trends across various sports and entertainment sectors where the price ⁠is ​adapted to optimise sales and attendance, ​ensuring fair market value for events," world soccer's ruling body said.