Key Background
FIFA’s skyrocketing prices have faced considerable backlash over the last few months, drawing scrutiny from members of Congress and even criticism from President Donald Trump, a self-described friend of FIFA head Gianni Infantino. “I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you,” Trump told the New York Post earlier this month. Infantino has consistently defended FIFA’s ticket pricing, insisting earlier this month “we are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates.”
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Big Number
About $2.3 million. That’s how much the most expensive World Cup tickets available on resale were listed for earlier in April. The seats were in the lower deck behind the goal for the July 19 World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the Associated Press reported. FIFA noted it does not control what prices sellers list tickets for on resale markets, and Infantino previously insisted, “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,” before later adding “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.”
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Crucial Quote
“Being honest about ticket sales is not complicated,” Davenport, a Democrat, said in a statement on Wednesday. “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.” James, also a Democrat, agreed that “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.”
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Further Reading
ForbesTrump Says He ‘Wouldn’t Pay’ High World Cup Ticket PricesBy Conor Murray