Exorbitant World Cup ticket prices creating sticker shock for soccer fans
Inglewood, California — FIFA is facing backlash over exorbitant prices and fees for the upcoming World Cup, causing consternation among fans and fueling critics who accuse soccer’s world governing body of greed.
This World Cup will be the largest ever after its expansion from 32 to 48 teams, with 104 matches in the United States, Canada and Mexico expected to generate a record revenue of $10.9 billion, according to FIFA.
The official FIFA resale market showed sky-high priceswith the sport’s governing body pocketing a 15% commission from the seller and buyer for each sale.
“If some people put tickets for the final at $2 million on the secondary market, on the resale market, that doesn’t mean the tickets cost $2 million,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in an interview earlier this month. “Second, it doesn’t mean anyone will buy these tickets.”
Infantino joked that if someone pays $2 million, “I will personally bring them a hot dog and a Coke to make sure they have a great experience.”
Last week, FIFA, on its ticketing platform, tripled the price of first seats for the July 19 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, to $33,970, the Associated Press reported.
According to ticket analytics company TicketData, the average price of the cheapest tickets on resale markets for all matches in the World Cup group stage on Friday was $553. The cheapest available ticket for the final was $7,734.
President Trump, when asked last week about World Cup pricing, said he himself would not pay $1,000 to see the United States play Paraguay in the tournament’s opening match June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., south of Los Angeles.
“I certainly would love to be there, but I wouldn’t pay either, to be honest with you,” Mr. Trump told the New York Post.
CBS News has seen tickets costing more than $45,000 in secondary markets for the game.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta also disagreed. He sent a letter to FIFA on Wednesday seeking answers about potentially misleading ticketing practices after reports that FIFA was “selling tickets based on seat categories shown on stadium maps and later changing those seat categorizations before assigning specific locations.”
But the sticker shock doesn’t stop at tickets. FIFA requires host cities to foot the bill for security and transportation costs, although the Federal Emergency Management Agency says some of those expenses will be offset by federal funding.
New Jersey Transit announced round-trip train fares to MetLife Stadium from Manhattan for World Cup matches will cost $98. The usual price is $13.
Kris Kolluri, CEO of New Jersey Transit, argued that the fare increase saves daily commuters from bearing the cost of carrying hundreds of thousands of additional passengers during the six-week tournament. Kolluri said the cost for New Jersey Transit to run trains for the eight World Cup games at MetLife is estimated at about $48 million, and train ticket prices are set to cover that amount.
“New Jersey commuters should definitely not bear the cost of a wonderful event in years to come. But the fans who go to the game should bear the burden of the cost, and that’s all we’re trying to say,” Kolluri said at a news conference last month.
Train tickets from Boston to Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts, will cost $75 round trip for World Cup matches. Typically, these tickets cost around $20 for concerts and sporting events, such as New England Patriots games.
Vancouver, British Columbia, also resisted, refusing FIFA’s request to send a police motorcade for Infantino.
“Any transportation arrangements made will be appropriate, measured and consistent with how Vancouver safely hosts major international events,” Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim’s office said in a statement.
There is some signs these high prices could help drive away fans. According to CBS News New York, new data from commercial real estate company CoStar showed that several New York hotels currently have only a third of their rooms occupied on World Cup match nights, down 12% from last year’s levels at the same time and dates.
