FIFA is drawing sharp backlash over high World Cup ticket prices and resale fees, while host cities and transit agencies face the financial lift of security and transportation. From MetLife’s steep final-seat costs to new train fares and a dispute over a polic
In Inglewood, Calif., the mood around the World Cup is shaped by numbers that feel out of reach—especially when FIFA points to ticketing mechanics and revenue projections even as fans, officials, and transit providers grapple with the cost of showing up.
The tournament has been expanded from 32 teams to 48. and FIFA says it will feature 104 matches across the U.S.. Canada. and Mexico. projected to generate a record $10.9 billion in revenue.. But the price tag on the ground has become a flashpoint.. FIFA’s official resale marketplace takes a 15% fee from both the seller and the buyer for each sale. a structure now fueling accusations that the sport’s governing body is profiting heavily from the secondary market.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino tried to explain the difference between what tickets list for and what they cost in reality.. In an interview earlier this month. he said. “If some people put on a secondary. on the resale market. some tickets for the final at $2 million. Number one. it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2 million. ” adding. “Number two. it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets.” Infantino added a joke that if someone did pay that amount. “I will personally bring him a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.”
Still, the figures tied to FIFA’s platforms and the resale market have drawn immediate scrutiny.. Last week. FIFA tripled the price for the top seats to the July 19 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to $33. 970. according to the Associated Press.. A ticket analytics firm. TicketData. found that the average price for the cheapest tickets on resale markets across all World Cup group stage games as of Friday was $553.. For the final, TicketData said the cheapest available ticket was $7,734.
Even political figures who support the U.S.. tournament have shown reluctance toward the going rates.. When asked last week about World Cup pricing. President Trump said he personally wouldn’t pay $1. 000 to watch the U.S.. play Paraguay in the tournament’s U.S.. opener on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood.. “I would certainly like to be there. but I wouldn’t pay it either. to be honest with you. ” Trump told the New York Post.. CBS News said some tickets were priced at more than $45,000 on secondary markets for the match.
At the state level. California Attorney General Rob Bonta said he is not buying into the explanation that high listings don’t necessarily translate into actual purchase prices.. In a letter sent to FIFA on Wednesday, Bonta sought answers about potentially misleading ticketing practices.. The concern followed reports that FIFA sold tickets based on seating categories displayed on stadium maps and later altered those seating categorizations before assigning precise seat locations.
FIFA’s critics are also pointing at costs that fall on host communities. FIFA requires host cities to cover security and transportation costs, even as FEMA says some of those expenses will be offset by federal funding.
In New Jersey. round trip train fares to MetLife Stadium from Manhattan for World Cup games will run $98. while the usual fare is $13. according to New Jersey Transit.. New Jersey Transit CEO Kris Kolluri said the increased fare is meant to prevent daily commuters from bearing the burden of transporting hundreds of thousands of additional riders over the six-week tournament.. Kolluri said the cost to New Jersey Transit to run trains for the eight World Cup games at MetLife is estimated at about $48 million. and that train tickets are priced to cover that.. “Commuters in New Jersey should not carry the cost years into the future for a wonderful event, no doubt.. But the fans who are going to the game should bear the burden of the cost. and that’s all we’re trying to say. ” Kolluri said in a news conference last month.
Further north, train tickets from Boston to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, are set at $75 round trip for World Cup matches. Typically, those tickets are about $20 for concerts and sporting events, including New England Patriots games.
Outside the U.S., Vancouver, B.C., is also pushing back.. The city denied FIFA’s request for a police motorcade for Infantino.. The mayor’s office said in a statement. “Any transportation arrangements that are made will be appropriate. measured. and consistent with how Vancouver safely hosts major international events.”
There are also early signs the soaring costs could be affecting turnout.. Data shared by CBS News New York pointed to new figures from CoStar showing that several New York City hotels currently have only a third of their rooms occupied on World Cup match nights.. The hotel occupancy is listed at 12% below last year’s levels at the same time for the same dates.
The figures move through multiple layers at once—FIFA’s 15% resale fee comes on top of rapidly raised face values at the top tier. while host cities and transit agencies cite security and transportation costs that are then pushed into higher fares—creating a chain where listed prices. public expenses. and consumer demand all end up in the same conversation.
FIFA World Cup ticket prices resale marketplace Infantino MetLife Stadium New Jersey Transit SoFi Stadium Rob Bonta Vancouver police motorcade sticker shock