New York, New Jersey investigating FIFA’s ticket practices as World Cup prices soar
FIFA is facing new scrutiny over high World Cup ticket prices and sales practices that fans say left them with worse deals than expected.
The attorneys general in New York and New Jersey, which will host eight World Cup matches including the final, said Tuesday they are investigating whether FIFA’s ticketing methods violated consumer protection laws. They have issued subpoenas to the governing body seeking information on several practices, including “variable pricing” that pushed prices up for most matches and redesigned stadium seating maps that fans say moved seats farther from the field.
The attorneys general, working with the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, said their focus is mainly on tickets for matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
“New Yorkers have been waiting years for the World Cup to come to their backyard, and they deserve a fair shot at affordable tickets,” New York Attorney General Letitia James said. “No one should be manipulated into paying sky-high prices for seats, and fans should be able to trust that the tickets they purchase will be the ones they receive.”
New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said FIFA turned buying a World Cup ticket “into a gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity, and impossibly high prices,” adding that hosting the event “is not an invitation to exploit our residents and visitors.”
The World Cup begins June 11 in Mexico City and Guadalajara. The first match at the roughly 82,000-seat MetLife Stadium, temporarily renamed New York New Jersey Stadium, will be Brazil vs. Morocco on June 13. Some seats for the July 19 final are listed at nearly $33,000.
Last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said 1,000 tickets, about 150 per MetLife Stadium game excluding the final, will be offered to city residents through a $50 lottery. FIFA previously released some $60 tickets for each match through national team federations.
