By David Ljunggren
May 27 (Reuters) – The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey on Wednesday said they had issued a subpoena to FIFA over the soccer governing body’s ticketing practices after media reports raised concerns about fans’ seat locations for the upcoming World Cup.
New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a press release they are specifically requesting details about ticketing practices for the eight World Cup matches being played in New Jersey, including the July 19 final.
The two officials also said some fans have reported that they did not receive the tickets in the category they paid for. According to the press release, some fans who selected and paid for Category 1 tickets, which were the closest areas to the field, were assigned seats further back in Category 2 areas.
“New Yorkers have been waiting years for the World Cup to come to their backyard, and they deserve a fair shot at affordable tickets,” 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.”
James and Davenport said they will also investigate FIFA’s ticket prices for 2026 World Cup matches, which they said have “far exceeded” those of any previous World Cup tournament.
“Being honest about ticket sales is not complicated. 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,” Davenport said.
FIFA declined to comment.
The 2026 World Cup begins on June 11 and is being hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
“New Jersey is excited to host the World Cup and welcome fans from across the globe. But no one should be allowed to exploit New Jersey fans or those coming to our state,” New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill said in a statement.
“I applaud Attorneys General Davenport and James for standing up on behalf of consumers and investigating whether they have been misled.”
BACKLASH OVER TICKET PRICES
Ticket prices for the World Cup have become as much a headline as the matches themselves, especially when their face value is compared to the ticket pricing summary originally listed in the bid book by the three host nations.
FIFA is using dynamic pricing for the first time at this year’s World Cup. That system allows for the cost of tickets to fluctuate based on a variety of factors such as real-time demand, inventory and the popularity of an event. Tickets on FIFA’s official resale platform have skyrocketed.
Due to a backlash over exorbitant prices, FIFA introduced a small number of $60 tickets that are tucked high in the top corners of stadiums.
In March, dozens of U.S. lawmakers called on FIFA to lower the cost of tickets for the 2026 World Cup, saying in a letter to the organization that the use of dynamic pricing had turned the event into an exclusionary enterprise at the expense of fans.
Speaking at the 76th FIFA Congress last month in Vancouver, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said demand for tickets had reached unprecedented levels, with 500 million requests already recorded for the expanded 48-team tournament.
“We’ve sold 100% of the inventory that we’ve put on the market, which is, more or less, 90% of the global inventory so far,” Infantino said.
(Reporting by Frank Pingue in Toronto, Susan Heavey in Washington and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Additional reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Paul Simao)
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