FIFA responded to New York mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani’s campaign to get soccer’s global governing body to drop its plan for dynamic pricing for next year’s World Cup, jointly being hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Wednesday marked the start of the ticket pre-sale signup window for the 2026 World Cup, which will have eight matches, including the final, take place at MetLife Stadium next summer.
FIFA confirmed earlier this month that it would be using dynamic pricing for the 2026 World Cup, with the cheapest ticket prices for the group stage starting at $60 and reaching up to $6,730 for the priciest ticket for the final, which MetLife Stadium is hosting.
Soccer’s governing body is expected to rake in $3 billion from ticket sales from the 2026 World Cup, The Athletic reported.
The spokesperson for FIFA insisted that the official resale platform allowed fans a “safe and secure method” to sell and buy tickets within the bounds of U.S. law.
In response to Zohran Mamdani’s campaign to persuade FIFA to abandon its dynamic pricing plan for the World Cup that the United States, Canada, and Mexico will jointly host next year, the global governing body of soccer responded.
In a Tuesday night petition titled “Game Over Greed,” the Democrat socialist called on FIFA to stop using the pricing model, cap the prices of resale tickets, and reserve 15% of tickets at a local resident discount.
FIFA will be reserving tickets for “specific fan categories” at a “fixed price,” according to a statement given to The Post on Wednesday. The spokesperson defended dynamic pricing as a “developing market practice.”. “”.
According to the spokesperson, “the pricing model adopted generally reflects the existing and developing market practice in our co-hosts for major entertainment and sporting events on a daily basis, including soccer.”. We are committed to providing both current and potential fans with equitable access to our game, and we are offering group stage tickets for as little as $60, which is incredibly affordable for a major international athletic event in the United States. S. “.”.
Mamdani voiced concerns in a video shared on social media on Tuesday night that World Cup tickets, especially those at MetLife Stadium, would be resold at a hefty price on a secondary market ticket platform run by FIFA.
At a press conference at St., the front-runner for mayor also charged FIFA with exploiting the World Cup as “opportunities for profit, as opposed to opportunities to extend this to the people who make this game so special.”. On Wednesday, James Park in the Bronx.
The Queens representative, a 33-year-old state assemblyman, said the petition went live on his campaign website Tuesday night and has already received thousands of signatures.
The ticket pre-sale signup window for the 2026 World Cup, which will feature eight matches—including the final—at MetLife Stadium next summer, opened on Wednesday.
The 2026 World Cup will use dynamic pricing, FIFA confirmed earlier this month. The cheapest tickets for the group stage start at $60, while the most expensive ticket for the final, which will be held at MetLife Stadium, costs $6,730.
According to The Athletic, soccer’s governing body is anticipated to earn $3 billion from 2026 World Cup ticket sales.
The FIFA spokesperson maintained that fans could sell and purchase tickets within the U.S. using a “safe and secure method” through the official resale platform. S. . the law.
“Necessary to have a ticketing model that reflects our responsibility to provide access to fans, while at the same time ensuring as much value is retained for redistribution into the game globally,” they added. “.”.
“It is crucial to remember that FIFA is a non-profit organization, and the money it makes from the World Cup is used to support the expansion of the game for players of all ages across its 211 member associations worldwide,” the spokesperson added. To greatly advance the development of football worldwide, FIFA actually anticipates reinvesting over 90% of its allocated investments for the 2023–2026 cycle back into the sport.
“More than half of FIFA’s Member Associations could not function without FIFA’s financial assistance. “”.
