New York and New Jersey investigate 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket prices
Fans say tickets they bought for FIFA World Cup 2026 games were moved to less desirable parts of stadiums. (Reuters: Bing Guan)
In short:
New York and New Jersey's attorneys-general will probe whether FIFA changed stadium seat maps and punted some ticketholders into less desirable seats at eight upcoming World Cup matches, including the grand final.
FIFA has previously defended its practices, saying it has been responding to high demand from fans for seats.
The upcoming competition will be played at venues across North America from next month.
The attorneys-general of New York and New Jersey say they will investigate soaring ticket prices and allegations of misleading seat locations for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament.
In a joint statement, New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and New York Attorney General Letitia James said they had issued subpoenas to FIFA, requesting information about the sporting body's ticket practices.
This year's FIFA World Cup is being held across North America, with the tournament's final among eight games being hosted by New Jersey.
The joint statement said they had requested FIFA outline how it had come to charge for, and select, seats for fans at all eight of those games.
It came amid allegations from some ticket-buyers that they had been misled about the location of the seats they purchased.
The FIFA World Cup, which is being played across the US, Canada and Mexico, kicks off from mid-June. (Reuters: Ed Ou)
The attorneys-general accused FIFA of having changed the "category" of tickets they had purchased after the fact, altering seat map divisions and creating new zones for more in-demand seats after some tickets had already been sold.
In some instances, fans alleged the category of their seats had been changed to move them further back from the field than initially believed.
'Fake scarcity'
The investigations would also look into whether FIFA's use of "variable pricing" had caused the cost of tickets to skyrocket.
Fans had been reporting seeing tickets being offered for in excess of $US1,000 ($1,400) in some instances, which the joint statement from Ms James and Ms Davenport said was far higher than what had been charged at any stadium prior to the FIFA World Cup.
In one instance, FIFA released tickets to a match between the US and Paraguay costing $US4,105.
"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," Ms James said.
Ms Davenport accused the football governing body of having turned "buying a ticket to the World Cup into a gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity and impossibly high prices".
FIFA has previously defended its pricing as indicative of high public demand.
The upcoming competition has been marred by various scandals, including accusations a transit company in New Jersey had upped train ticket prices on game days to over $US100 for journeys that normally would cost $US10.
FIFA declined to comment on this latest investigation, according to Reuters.
Speaking last year, the World Cup's chief operating officer, Heimo Schirgi, said sales of tickets were a vital revenue stream to fulfil FIFA's objective of "providing funding, providing opportunities, providing growth to our sport across all the 211 member associations".
"And as part of that mission, which we take very seriously, we're looking at optimising the revenue, but also optimising attendance in the stadium, right? So, it's always a balance between different factors."
ABC/AP