New York and New Jersey attorneys general have launched investigations, both announced on May 27, into World Cup ticket pricing following complaints that the world’s soccer governing body misled fans about the location of seats they were buying.
The attorneys general, Letitia James of New York and Jennifer Davenport of New Jersey, sent subpoenas to FIFA asking about its ticketing practices, with more detailed inquiries pertaining to the eight World Cup matches planned for New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, including the July 19 finals.
FIFA follows a dynamic pricing model, similar to what is used for playoff tickets for top-tier sports leagues in the United States. The seat maps on the ticket sales website show four zones at MetLife, with category one seats in the most desirable location. After many fans purchased tickets, FIFA then added “front” categories one through four, which are more desirable locations than what was advertised previously, although they also cost much more. Fans who bought tickets earlier complained that they did not have an opportunity to purchase those better seats, and others complained that they did not receive tickets for the category they paid for.
“Being honest about ticket sales is not complicated,” Davenport said in a May 27 statement. “But FIFA has turned buying a ticket to the World Cup into a gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity, and impossibly high prices—all at the expense of consumers and hardworking New Jerseyans.
“It’s an honor to host the World Cup, but the event is not an invitation to exploit our residents and visitors.”
Even though New York City is not itself hosting any matches, plenty of city residents have bought or are planning to buy tickets to matches at MetLife Stadium, 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,” she said in the statement.
The investigation will also look at how much the price of tickets increased between October 2025 and April 2026, and how FIFA’s ticket release schedule, public statements, and “other conduct” may have affected prices.
Both attorneys general encourage those who did not receive the specific World Cup tickets they paid for to file a complaint on the website of their state’s consumer affairs division.
FIFA declined The Epoch Times’ request for comment.
Ticket prices for the July 19 finals have been listed as high as $32,000. The average cost for seats in the group rounds of play easily exceeds $1,000 in most venues across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, with prices getting much steeper in the knock-out rounds.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, during a recent public appearance at the Milken Institute in California, said these market rates and resale values for World Cup tickets are consistent with those of other U.S. entertainment and sports venues, including college sports.
On March 10, 69 members of Congress sent a letter to Infantino, accusing FIFA of price gouging and saying that U.S. host cities are facing a $250 million shortfall considering the infrastructure improvements, transportation services, and security preparations needed to accommodate fans.