2026 World Cup: New York, New Jersey AG launch probe as MetLife Stadium ticket prices skyrocket

New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport said on Wednesday (local time) they were subpoenaing documents from FIFA regarding its pricing practices.

The development comes ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup and skyrocketing ticket prices at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, CNN reported.

This is not the first time officials have questioned FIFA over ticket prices. Earlier this month, California Governor Rob Bonta also requested information from the tournament organizer to assess whether California laws may have been violated during the sales process.

California law provides strong protections for consumers, including strict prohibitions on marketing practices that are likely to mislead them. Businesses and organizations also cannot justify misleading practices by pointing to fine print or other language that a reasonable consumer would not see or understand. Recent reports have raised concerns that FIFA sold tickets based on seat categories shown on stadium maps and later changed these seat categorizations before assigning exact seat locations.

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New York, New Jersey AG criticizes FIFA

New Jersey AG Davenport criticized the tournament organizer, saying: “It’s not difficult to be honest about ticket sales,” adding: “But FIFA has turned the World Cup ticket purchase into a gauntlet of confusion, false shortages and outrageously high prices.”

Her counterpart, AG James, said New Yorkers “deserve a fair chance at affordable tickets” and that “fans should be able to trust that the tickets they buy will be the ones they get.”

FIFA previously said its “pricing strategy includes a wide range of price points and categories that reflect market demand for each match”.

Ticket prices, seats to try

The issue revolves around pricing and seating, with the attorneys-general saying “fans may have been misled about the location of the seats they were purchasing, and FIFA’s public statements and ticket releases may have contributed to skyrocketing prices”.

They will examine the tournament organizer’s ticketing system and seat maps at MetLife Stadium, which was renamed New York New Jersey Stadium during the tournament, which they claim was altered after fans had already purchased tickets. Initially, the venue was divided into four categories of seats, from categories 1 to 4, with lower numbered categories offering better seating.

However, after ticket sales began, FIFA created “new zones” and added a front section in each category. Fans complained that ticket buyers for seats in the new zones “were excluded from those seats and instead were allocated less desirable seats, including seats away from the pitch or behind the goals”.

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According to The New York Times, ticket prices for group matches in the US started at $60 for a few tickets but have soared to more than $600. Additionally, face value tickets for the finals were up to $10,990.

Fans are furious over skyrocketing ticket prices

Reports suggest that football fans have already been angered by the high prices, which have quickly soared exponentially higher on the selling platforms, including as much as two million dollars for the final.

In response to the outrage, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani last week announced an initiative to sell $50 tickets to city residents. The tickets, which were made available through a lottery system, are expected to cover all matches at MetLife Stadium, except for the final, and will also include round-trip bus transportation to the venue.

Mamdani’s initiative is the first and only host city program for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, giving residents exclusive access to match tickets. The plan also mirrors the strategy used by Qatar during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, where discounted tickets were offered to residents.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, with matches taking place in all three countries from 11 June. New Jersey will host its first game on June 13 and is scheduled to play a total of eight games, including the finale on July 19.