FIFA triples the price of its best tickets available FIFA World Cup In the finals, $32,970 seats became available Thursday for the July 19 game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Soccer’s governing body listed those seats as Front Category 1 on its sales site, a day after members of Congress questioned the pricing structure of World Cup tickets and asked FIFA for greater transparency on prices.
FIFA had previously set a higher price of $10,990 for Category 1 finals. However, that ticket was now available only as wheelchair and easy access Category 1 on Thursday night.
Tickets for the July 14 semifinals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, were listed at $11,130, $4,330, $3,710 and $2,705. Seats for the next day’s semifinals at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium were $10,635, $3,545 and $2,725.
seats for United States of America opener against paraguaya Tickets for the June 12 match at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California were available for $2,735, $1,940 and $1,120, while tickets for the June 19 match against the Americans Australia were listed at Lumen Field in Seattle at $2,715. Tickets to the USMNT’s group-stage final turkiye Inglewood on June 25 was $2,970, $1,345, $990 and $840.
Representatives Nelly Pou and Frank Pallone Jr., both New Jersey Democrats, sent a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino early Thursday, asking him to explain what they called the organization’s “opaque” use of dynamic pricing and the outrage it has caused.
“We are deeply concerned by reports that FIFA is adopting opaque pricing, rule changes and potentially deceptive practices, making it more difficult for fans to access seats,” the letter reads. “We write for more information about these ticketing practices, including how FIFA is ensuring the World Cup is affordable for all fans and responding to fans who feel misled.”
Infantino has defended the ticket prices.
“We have to look at the market. We are in a market where entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates,” he said on Tuesday At the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California. “In the US, reselling tickets is also allowed, so if you sell tickets at a very low price, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price. And in fact, even though some people are saying that we have higher ticket prices, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double our price.”
He added, “You can’t go see a college game in America for less than $300, let alone a top professional game at a certain level.”
Although prices for Super Bowls and college football national championship games can be comparable to those charged for some World Cup matches, tickets to college and professional sporting events in the US, including the ongoing NBA playoffs, are routinely available for less than $300.
On the FIFA resale/exchange marketplace, tickets for the final were available on Thursday ranging from $11,499,998.85 to $8,970. The higher price was listed for tickets four rows from the top of the upper deck in Block 307, Row 22, Seat 12.
FIFA does not control the asking prices on its resale/exchange marketplace, but does charge a 15% purchase fee to the buyer of each ticket and a 15% resale fee to the seller.
Last month, someone listed Final tickets at $2,299,998.85.
“If some people, in the secondary, resale market, price some tickets for the final at $2 million, No. 1, that doesn’t mean the tickets are worth $2 million, and No. 2, it doesn’t mean anyone will buy these tickets,” Infantino said. “In fact, if someone bought a $2 million ticket to the finals, I would personally bring a hot dog and a Coke to make sure they had a great experience.”
Another significant cost at this summer’s World Cup relates to transit to and from the games, particularly for those who intend to use New Jersey Transit to travel to and from MetLife Stadium.
The hefty cost of taking that ride just got a little cheaper.
NJ Transit is reducing the planned $150 round-trip fare from all stations to the stadium in East Rutherford to $105. That’s still far more than the roughly $13 a round-trip ticket from Manhattan’s Penn Station to the stadium typically costs.
A spokesperson for Governor Mickey Sherrill said the Democrat had directed the transit agency to seek private and non-taxpayer dollars to mitigate the planned fare increase.
“The governor appreciates all the companies that have already taken steps to reduce costs for ticket holders,” Sherrill spokesman Steve Sigmund said in a statement. “She will continue to ensure that the World Cup is an experience that benefits fans and all New Jerseyans.”
FIFA spokesmen declined to comment on Thursday. Soccer’s international governing body previously warned that New Jersey’s transit prices could have a “chilling effect” on the games, noting that other US host cities such as Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston are keeping their fares unchanged.
MetLife, the home stadium of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, is set to host eight World Cup matches, including the final. Group stage matches for football superpowers brazil, France, Germany And EnglandAlong with other countries, starting from June 13.
ESPN writers TJ Quinn and Anthony Olivieri contributed to this report. Information from the Associated Press was also used.
