The 2026 football championship will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, and ticket prices have reached astronomical levels.
Washington – New York and New Jersey FIFA sub-store as part of an investigation into its 2026 World Cup ticketing practices.
The 2026 football championship will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico with astronomical ticket prices, including seats to the July 19 final. Up to $32,970. New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced the subpoenas on Wednesday, claiming fans were misled about seating maps, specifically at MetLife Stadium, which will host eight games.
“New Yorkers have been waiting for the World Cup to come to their backyard for years, and they deserve a fair chance to purchase affordable tickets,” Attorney General James said in a statement. statement. “No one should be manipulated into paying exorbitant prices for seats, and fans should be able to trust that the tickets they purchase are the tickets they receive. I thank Attorney General Davenport for joining this effort to get answers from FIFA and protect consumers in our states.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino Defended the World Cup before Ticket pricing, calling it “market driven”.
“We have to pay attention to the market. We are in the most entertainment market in the world, so we have to use market prices.” he told the Milken Institute Global Conference in early May In Beverly Hills, California. “Resale of tickets is also allowed in the United States, so if you sell tickets at too low a price, those tickets will be resold at a higher price. In fact, even though some people say our ticket prices are high, they still end up being higher on the resale market, more than double our price.”
FIFA does not control the asking price on its resale/exchange market, but charges a 15% purchase fee to the buyer of each ticket and a 15% resale fee to the seller.
“It’s not complicated to be honest about ticket sales. But FIFA has turned the purchase of World Cup tickets into a challenge of confusion, false scarcity and incredibly high prices — all at the expense of consumers and hard-working New Jerseyans,” Attorney General Davenport said Wednesday. “We are committed to a thorough investigation of FIFA’s actions and we are proud to work with Attorney General James to protect our consumers. Hosting the World Cup is an honor, but this event is not intended to exploit our residents and visitors.”
The attorney general said the investigation will focus on the ticketing process and seating maps. Fans were reportedly misled about their seat locations because FIFA divided stadium seats into four categories in the initial sale, but later added “ex-categories” – the most desirable seats, but at a higher price.
As well as seats, the investigation will also examine the high ticket prices, which exceed those at any previous World Cup event. FIFA is relying on dynamic pricing for this year’s tournament, releasing tickets in stages over the past few months and quietly increasing ticket prices.
Competitor It was reported in April that FIFA had increased ticket prices for more than 90 of the 104 World Cup matches between October 2025 and April 2026, with prices across the three major ticket categories increasing by an average of 34%.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a lottery for 1,000 $50 World Cup tickets to New York City residents.
The $50 tickets did not come directly from FIFA, but from tickets allocated to the New York and New Jersey Olympics co-hosting committee, according to the mayor’s office.
About 150 tickets will be available for each of seven of the eight games at the roughly 82,000-seat MetLife Stadium across the river in Manhattan, New Jersey. The only exception is the high demand for the final on July 19, for which some seats are now available for a fee Nearly $33,000.
Tickets will also include free round-trip bus transportation to the stadium for ticket holders, the mayor said. Mamdani also warned that the city would take measures to prevent flipping and resale.
“We want to make sure working people are not priced out of the game they helped create,” Mamdani said.
In addition to high ticket prices, fans also face expensive flights, high hotel costs and even transportation costs. Fans were outraged to find out that taking the train to some stadiums would come with another hefty cost: a round-trip train fare of $98 in New Jersey and $80 in Massachusetts — typical fares for NFL fans are $12.90 and $20, respectively.
Transportation costs to games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts are relatively high, in part because they are located in suburban areas where many fans drive to attend the NFL games they typically host. However, during the World Cup, parking spaces will be extremely limited due to expanded security, broadcast needs, and lots being used as VIP areas, forcing more fans to use public transportation.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
