"No one should be manipulated into paying sky-high prices for seats." That's New York Attorney General Letitia James, who this week served FIFA with a subpoena over its World Cup ticket sales. It's the kind of sentence that doesn't get said unless something has gone seriously wrong.
And something has. The 2026 World Cup — 48 teams, 16 cities, 104 games across the U.S., Canada and Mexico — is shaping up as the most expensive sporting event fans have ever been asked to bankroll. Dynamic pricing, the same demand-driven model airlines and concert promoters use to extract maximum spend, has pushed most tickets into the hundreds of dollars. Many go into the thousands. FIFA has sold roughly 90% of the 6 million available tickets and is targeting a record $11 billion in total revenue. The fans got the bill.
The $60 ticket exists — you just can't have one
To quiet the backlash, FIFA announced a batch of $60 tickets for every game. Sounds generous. There are 1,000 of them per match. Out of 6 million total tickets. That's not a concession — it's a press release.
Davie Hood, a Scotland fan, paid $1,800 for three group-stage tickets. Then he found accommodation in Boston so expensive that he and thousands of fellow Scotland supporters booked rooms in Providence, Rhode Island instead — and hired school buses to get to Foxborough, rather than pay $95 each for the official shuttle from Boston. He planned a World Cup trip and ended up running a logistics operation.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino's defence is straightforward: better FIFA captures the premium than ticket touts do. The money, he says, gets redistributed — a projected $2.7 billion flowing to FIFA's 211 member associations over the next four years, an eightfold increase since Infantino took office. Those same 211 associations vote on his re-election. He's running again next year.
The windfall that isn't arriving
Host cities were promised an economic boom. The reality is messier. Around 80% of hoteliers in World Cup cities say bookings are tracking below initial forecasts, according to the American Hotel and Lodging Association. Visa barriers, the sheer geographic sprawl of the tournament — Germany, for instance, plays group games in Houston, Toronto and New Jersey — and broader geopolitical tensions are all suppressing international travel.
Some games still have seats available. Less desirable fixtures have seen prices drop. The New Jersey transit authority tried charging $150 for a train ticket from New York City to MetLife Stadium before public fury forced them to settle on $98. One round trip, $98, to watch a football match.
FIFA declined to comment on the subpoenas. Its spokesman said the organisation is "simply fulfilling its statutory objectives, which is to invest in football development."
The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey want to see the receipts. So do the fans who paid through the nose and still can't get straight answers about how many tickets existed, what they cost, or whether what arrives will match what was purchased. The most expensive World Cup in history kicks off next month. The legal proceedings may outlast the tournament itself.
