Pallone, Pou warn of FIFA’s ‘potentially deceptive’ ticket pricing practices

Two New Jersey House Democrats are blasting FIFA’s “potentially deceptive” ticket pricing practices for upcoming World Cup matches, adding a new front in a long-simmering war between New Jersey’s leaders and the international soccer organization.

In a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino today, Reps. Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) and Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) wrote with concerns about the World Cup’s ticket prices, which have steadily increased over time and which have soared beyond $10,000 in some extreme cases. This “dynamic pricing,” paired with confusion over how many tickets are available and where seats will be located, needs to be addressed and rectified, they wrote.

“For many fans hoping to attend matches this summer, the ticket sales process has become a major point of frustration,” the letter states. “We are deeply concerned by reports that FIFA is employing opaque pricing, shifting rules, and potentially deceptive practices that are making it difficult for fans to access seats.”

For Pallone, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, ticket pricing is a longtime issue of concern; he’s introduced a number of bills over the years, including one named after Bruce Springsteen and Taylor Swift, to rein in ticket sellers like Ticketmaster. Pou’s district, meanwhile, is home to the stadium where many of the matches will be played, and the first-term congresswoman is the co-leader of a House task force on World Cup security.

The two Democrats have requested that Infantino respond to a number of questions on their ticket pricing worries by May 22.

When the United States was first announced as one of the World Cup’s 2026 hosts, New Jersey – under the helm of Gov. Phil Murphy, a major soccer fan – leapt at the chance to play its part in the festivities. MetLife Stadium, rechristened as New York New Jersey Stadium for the purposes of the World Cup, is set to host eight of the cup’s games, including its July 19 final.

As the World Cup has gotten closer, however, some of the downsides of hosting such a large event have started to become clearer. Most notorious of all is the cost of running NJ Transit trains to and from the stadium; citing the increased passenger load and the lack of any help from FIFA, NJ Transit initially announced that a round-trip ticket to East Rutherford would be $150 (up from $12.90 normally), though that’s now been scaled down to $105 thanks to private donors.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill has also proposed temporarily raising the sales tax within the Meadowlands District where the matches will be held, which has earned her some criticism from members of her own party.