<p>With ticket prices soaring, FIFA has come under fresh scrutiny as attorneys general in New York and New Jersey, which is hosting eight World Cup matches including the final, announced that they are investigating whether the game's global governing body's ticketing practices violated consumer protection laws.</p><p>They have sent subpoenas to FIFA demanding information on a range of ticketing issues, including the use of 'variable pricing' models that sent ticket prices soaring for most matches and redrawn stadium maps that fans say relocated their seats far from the pitch.</p>.FIFA World Cup 2026 | 30-day countdown begins amidst political tension and soaring ticket price .<p>The attorneys general, working with the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, said they are focussed primarily on ticketing practices for matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.</p><p>"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 said. "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."</p><p>New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport accused FIFA of turning the act of buying a World Cup ticket "into a gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity, and impossibly high prices". It is an honour for New Jersey to host the World Cup, she said, "but the event is not an invitation to exploit our residents and visitors".</p><p>Last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that 1,000 tickets -- about 150 tickets for each MetLife Stadium game, excluding the final -- will be made available to city residents via a lottery system at a cost of $50 each.</p><p>Due to a backlash over exorbitant prices, FIFA introduced a small number of $60 tickets that are tucked high in the top corners of stadiums. </p><p>In March, dozens of US lawmakers called on FIFA to lower the cost of tickets, saying in a letter to the organisation that the use of dynamic pricing had turned the event into an exclusionary enterprise at the expense of fans. </p><p>The FIFA World Cup 2026, which will have a record 48 teams in the fray kicks off on June 11 with matches in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico. The first match at the roughly 82,000-seat MetLife Stadium -- temporarily renamed New York New Jersey Stadium for the event -- pits Brazil and Morocco on June 13.</p><p>Some seats for the July 19 final are going for nearly $33,000.</p> <p>(With inputs from agencies)</p>
<p>With ticket prices soaring, FIFA has come under fresh scrutiny as attorneys general in New York and New Jersey, which is hosting eight World Cup matches including the final, announced that they are investigating whether the game's global governing body's ticketing practices violated consumer protection laws.</p><p>They have sent subpoenas to FIFA demanding information on a range of ticketing issues, including the use of 'variable pricing' models that sent ticket prices soaring for most matches and redrawn stadium maps that fans say relocated their seats far from the pitch.</p>.FIFA World Cup 2026 | 30-day countdown begins amidst political tension and soaring ticket price .<p>The attorneys general, working with the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, said they are focussed primarily on ticketing practices for matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.</p><p>"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 said. "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."</p><p>New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport accused FIFA of turning the act of buying a World Cup ticket "into a gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity, and impossibly high prices". It is an honour for New Jersey to host the World Cup, she said, "but the event is not an invitation to exploit our residents and visitors".</p><p>Last week, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that 1,000 tickets -- about 150 tickets for each MetLife Stadium game, excluding the final -- will be made available to city residents via a lottery system at a cost of $50 each.</p><p>Due to a backlash over exorbitant prices, FIFA introduced a small number of $60 tickets that are tucked high in the top corners of stadiums. </p><p>In March, dozens of US lawmakers called on FIFA to lower the cost of tickets, saying in a letter to the organisation that the use of dynamic pricing had turned the event into an exclusionary enterprise at the expense of fans. </p><p>The FIFA World Cup 2026, which will have a record 48 teams in the fray kicks off on June 11 with matches in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico. The first match at the roughly 82,000-seat MetLife Stadium -- temporarily renamed New York New Jersey Stadium for the event -- pits Brazil and Morocco on June 13.</p><p>Some seats for the July 19 final are going for nearly $33,000.</p> <p>(With inputs from agencies)</p>
