New York, New Jersey Take FIFA to Court Over High Prices

The 2026 World Cup is only a few weeks away, but states aren’t done grilling FIFA over the tournament’s sky-high prices.

The attorneys general for New York and New Jersey have announced that they issued a subpoena to the soccer league. The move is meant to force FIFA’s leadership to answer questions about the high prices for attending this summer’s World Cup, which were far higher than the league had promised.

While several US states and cities have similar complaints, the subpoena will only cover pricing for the matches being held in New Jersey.

Most Expensive World Cup Yet

The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in history, but that isn’t the only record it will set this summer. 

When announcing the subpoena, the attorneys general shared that the tournament will be the most expensive in history. While some of that can be attributed to the level of inflation affecting the US, the lawmakers believe FIFA’s dynamic pricing has inflated ticket costs. As a result, fans need to spend over $1,000 on tickets to attend many World Cup matches, especially those held in the New York-New Jersey area.

According to USA Today, some premium tickets for the 2026 Final are being sold for $30,000 or more. By comparison, the most expensive tickets for the 2022 World Cup Final were sold for around $1,200.

Ticket costs are only part of the problem, with fans expecting to pay hundreds of dollars for transportation and on-site purchases. 

FIFA Remains Defiant

Despite growing outrage from fans and US lawmakers, FIFA has refused to apologize for the eye-popping costs of attending the World Cup. Instead, it has shifted the blame to the states and cities hosting matches, claiming that they were informed of the increased costs well in advance.

As a result, many expect the league to fight the subpoena. Even if its leadership is forced to testify, they could choose not to reveal any additional information. This would enrage lawmakers and many fans, but wouldn’t affect the tournament’s success or the revenue FIFA will receive.

Could FIFA’s Deal with NYC Be Expanded?

As defiant as FIFA has been over World Cup prices, it did agree to hand over significantly discounted tickets for New York City residents. It was a surprise for many fans around the world, and showed that the league isn’t unwilling to work with host cities and states.

There have also been growing concerns about attendance at the tournament, which FIFA has promised would be sold out. Hotel bookings remain far below the league's projections, signaling international fans may skip this summer's World Cup.

If those fears are secretly shared by the league, it could choose to issue more discounted tickets to help improve its image while also guaranteeing stadiums will be filled with fans this summer.