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FIFA has tripled the price of its best available tickets FIFA World Cup $32,970 seats are available Thursday for the July 19 match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, for the final.
Soccer’s governing body listed those seats as the first category on its sales site on days when members of Congress questioned the pricing structure of World Cup tickets and asked FIFA for more transparency in asking prices.
Prior to FIFA the highest price for the first category in the final was $10,990. However, that ticket is now only available on Thursday nights as wheelchair and easy access category one only.
Ticket prices for the July 14 semifinals at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas are listed at $11,130, $4,330, $3,710 and $2,705. Seats for the next day’s semifinals at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium were $10,635, $3,545 and $2,725.
seats for United States of America Opener against Paraguay June 12, at Sophie Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., were available for $2,735, $1,940 and $1,120, while tickets for the June 19 game against the Americans Australia Listed at $2,715 at Lumen Fields in Seattle. Tickets for the USMNT’s group-stage final in turkish Returning to Inglewood on June 25 were $2,970, $1,345, $990 and $840.
Representatives Nellie Pau and Frank Pallone Jr., both Democrats from New Jersey, sent a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Thursday asking him to explain what they see as the organization’s “opaque” use of dynamic pricing and the outrage it has caused.
“We are deeply concerned by reports that FIFA is engaging in opaque pricing, rule changes, and potentially deceptive practices that make it difficult for fans to access seats,” the letter said. “We are writing to ask for more information about these ticketing practices, including how FIFA is ensuring the World Cup is affordable for all fans, and to respond to those who feel confused.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended ticket prices.
“We have to look at the market. We are in a market where entertainment is the most advanced in the world, so we have to apply the market rate,” he said on Tuesday At the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills, California. “Ticket resale is allowed in the United States, so if you sell tickets at a very low price, these tickets will be sold at a much higher price. And in fact, even though some people say our tickets are overpriced, they still end up on the resale market for more than double our price.”
He added: “You can’t go see a college game in the United States, let alone a top professional game at a certain level, for less than $300.”
While prices for Super Bowls and college football national championship games can rival what some are charging for World Cup matches, tickets to college and professional sporting events in the United States, including the ongoing NBA playoffs, are regularly available for under $300.
On the FIFA Resale/Exchange Marketplace, tickets for Thursday’s final ranged from $11,499,998.85 to $8,970. In block 307, row 22, seat 12, the higher price was listed for a four-row ticket from the top of the upper deck.
FIFA does not control the asking price on its resale/exchange marketplace but charges a 15% purchase fee from the buyer of each ticket and a 15% resale fee from the seller.
Last month, someone listed Finals ticket $2,299,998.85.
“If some people on the secondary, resale market some tickets for the finals are $2 million, No. 1, that doesn’t mean the tickets are $2 million, and No. 2, that doesn’t mean anyone’s going to buy those tickets,” Infantino said. “In fact if someone buys a ticket to the final for $2 million, I’ll personally bring a hot dog and a Coke so that they have a great experience.”
Another flashpoint surrounding this summer’s World Cup is the cost of getting to and from the games, especially for those looking to use New Jersey Transit to travel to and from MetLife Stadium.
The steep cost to take that ride just got a little cheaper.
NJ Transit is cutting $150 round-trip fares from all stations to the stadium in East Rutherford to $105. That’s still a lot more than the roughly $13 for a round-trip ticket from Penn Station in Manhattan to the stadium.
A spokesman for Gov. Mickey Sherrill said Democrats have directed the transit agency to seek private and non-taxpayer dollars to offset the planned fare increase.
“The governor commends all agencies already taking steps to reduce costs for ticket holders,” Sherrill spokesman Steve Sigmund said in a statement. “He will continue to ensure that the World Cup is an experience that benefits fans and all New Jerseyans.”
Fifa spokesmen declined to comment on Thursday. Soccer’s international governing body previously warned that New Jersey’s transit fares could have a “chilling effect” on the games, noting that other US host cities such as Los Angeles, Dallas and Houston are keeping their fares unchanged.
MetLife, the home stadium of both the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, is set to host eight World Cup games, including the final. Group stage matches for football powerhouses Brazil, France, Germany And EnglandWith other countries, June 13 begins.
ESPN writers TJ Quinn and Anthony Olivieri contributed to this report. Information from the Associated Press was also used.
