The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey subpoenaed FIFA on Wednesday due to fans’ uproar about potentially misleading ticket pricing.
Fans on social media said they were upset about World Cup tickets, which range from $380 for the most entry-level seats to $33,000 for the priciest views of the final, which will be held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on July 19.
Some ticket buyers noted they were misled about the views available from their seats, while others said they purchased one category of ticket and were given another.
“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.”
FIFA’s ticketing process for the soccer extravaganza has been widely maligned. After initially selling options among four categories — with Category 1 offering the best seats and Category 4 featuring more affordable ones — the event organizers established a new system that created further divides within tiers.
“Being honest about ticket sales is not complicated. 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 Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said in a statement.
MetLife Stadium, home of the NFL’s Giants and Jets, will host eight World Cup games, more than any other venue this summer.
Ms. Davenport and Ms. James said they would conduct a joint investigation alongside the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
The ticket prices, which have grown as the World Cup draws close to its June 11 opener, have even drawn the ire of President Trump.
“I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you,” he told the New York Post.
But FIFA has defended its convoluted ticketing system throughout the process.
“We have to look at the market,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. “We are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates.”
The even-more-expensive resale market has stoked consumers’ frustration.
“If some people put on the resale market some tickets for the final at $2 million, No. 1, it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2 million, and No. 2, it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets,” Mr. Infantino said.
“And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2 million, I will personally bring a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.”
