May 31, 2026
New York and New Jersey’s attorney generals have launched an investigation into FIFA’s ticketing practices for the upcoming 2026 World Cup.
According to a joint press release, the investigation focuses on ticket selling practices for eight World Cup matches taking place at MetLife Stadium. Officials said there have been complaints from fans who were misled over the location of their seats as well as soaring and even inflated ticket prices.
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“Being honest about ticket sales is not complicated,” said New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport. “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.”
“New Yorkers have been waiting years for the World Cup to come to their backyard, and they deserve a fair shot at affordable tickets,” New York Attorney General Letitia James added.
The price of admission for ticket buyers is high across the country. According to The Athletic, for 90 out of 104 matches scheduled to take place, prices rose by an average of 34% because of FIFA’s use of variable or dynamic pricing.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said higher prices for the World Cup in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico have to do with the non-profit organization adjusting to the North American market — thereby justifying higher prices compared to previous tournaments.
The investigation will examine whether FIFA’s ticket release schedule and public statements, among other actions, may have impacted ticket prices.
How FIFA’s pricing became a gauntlet
Dynamic pricing, the practice of updating ticket prices to reflect demand, is a major concern. This theoretically leads to higher ticket prices when everyone is buying — and visa versa when demand slumps.
However, critics say FIFA isn’t using the tool both ways. A Congressional letter addressed to Infantino on May 7 notes that some seats for high-priced games stayed unsold while prices held steady — even as resale prices dropped lower. This suggests prices were kept “artificially high, even when the market signals otherwise.” FIFA also advertised “limited” ticket releases while seats remained available across the tournament, which the letter frames as manufactured urgency.
The 2026 World Cup is the first time FIFA has charged dynamic pricing. Price jumps have been large and discouraging. BBC Sport reports top seats for the final jumped from about $8,700 in December 2025 to nearly $11,000 in April.
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Scotland fan Allan Ross told the BBC he’d given up on tickets after encountering problems with the queuing system. “It’s the definition of madness, so I’m not going to chase anymore,” he said.
FIFA is also under fire for seat-swapping. In their joint statement, New York and New Jersey’s attorney generals said customers purchased seats from one of four zones created by FIFA. But after purchasing tickets, customers said FIFA pushed them to the worst spots within the zones and offered new, premium tickets with better seating. Customers also said they were moved into other, less desirable zones, entirely.
A FIFA spokesperson told The Athletic the maps were “indicative” and meant to help fans understand where seats could be located. The exact terms can be found in the FIFA World Cup Ticketing terms and conditions. These specify stadium maps and locations “are for guidance purposes only and may not reflect the actual layout and boundaries of a particular Stadium.”
This probe comes at a time when regulators are cracking down on ticketing companies — although FIFA is much more than that. (Its primary purpose is to grow the game globally.) In April, a federal jury found Live Nation/Ticketmaster liable for violating federal and state antitrust law. Now, officials are taking action against FIFA.
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How to get better deals when prices move in real time
Dynamic pricing isn’t exclusive to live ticket sales. “Any major national brand will likely engage in some form of dynamic pricing these days,” money-saving expert Andrea Woroch told Kiplinger. Among companies that use dynamic pricing are Uber, Lyft, as well as airlines.
One suggestion is to time purchases. There are certain windows in which airline prices tend to bottom — these can be tracked through apps like Hopper. Concert tickets are another example. A study by FinanceBuzz found that concertgoers who buy concert tickets last-minute spend 27–33% less than average.
It also pays to compare before you buy. When prices look steep on the official site, check the resale market, too. Markups don’t always run the direction you’d expect.
When it comes to the World Cup, waiting for price drops is likely many fans’ best option at this point, especially if you live near a host city. Monitor the official FIFA resale site as well as other third-party marketplaces. Matches during the group stage should be more affordable than those during the knockout stage.
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Cole Tretheway has been covering money for four years. He started as an intern at The Motley Fool Money, covering best-of credit cards, savings accounts, and financial products. He's since expanded into wholistic personal finances, including the psychology of money.
