FIFA is facing subpoenas from the states of New York and New Jersey amid an investigation into the pricing of 2026 World Cup tickets and the accuracy of reported seat locations promised to soccer fans.
The tournament, the most expensive World Cup in history by a wide margin, will begin in mid-June and include games between the United States, Canada and Mexico. The incident has already sparked widespread criticism over a number of political and economic issues, including what prosecutors said Wednesday were “skyrocketing prices for seats.”
What did prosecutors say about the investigation?
New York Attorney General Letitia James and her New Jersey counterpart Jennifer Davenport said in a joint statement that the prices of 2026 World Cup matches “far exceed the prices of any previous World Cup competition.”
“New Yorkers have been waiting for the World Cup to come to their backyard for years, and they deserve a fair chance at affordable tickets,” James said. “No one should be forced to pay exorbitant prices for seats, and fans should be able to trust that they will get the tickets they purchase.”
The World Cup final is scheduled for July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, home of the New York Giants and Jets.
Jennifer Davenport said, “It doesn’t have to be complicated to be honest about ticket sales. But FIFA has made buying tickets for the World Cup a game of confusion, fake scarcity and impossibly high prices.”
How expensive is this World Cup?
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has defended its “dynamic pricing” due to the high standard prices at sporting events in the US and the large global demand. He also partly blamed US laws, which make it impossible to ban ticket resale after purchase.
However, except for the lowest priced tickets – which are comparatively few in number and only available during low-stakes group stages – they are more expensive than normal sports admission fees in the US.
Admission to the final in July will cost ordinary fans several thousand dollars – and that’s five times the cost of attending the thrilling final in oil-rich Qatar in 2022.
Entry to the last final in the US in 1994 was about 20 times cheaper.
“Hosting the World Cup is an honor, but this event is not an invitation to exploit our residents and visitors,” Davenport said.
FIFA World Cup is mired in controversies
The prosecutors’ investigation is by no means the first investigation or scandal related to these costs.
Advocacy groups have filed a formal complaint about price gouging with the EU.
Supplementary costs such as parking and train tickets for stadiums have also made headlines.
FIFA has taken several steps to calm the waters, such as a very limited release of low-priced tickets, but with little or no success.
Edited by: Darko Janjevic
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