N.J., N.Y. attorneys general announce investigation into FIFA ticketing practices

New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and New York Attorney General Letitia James announced a joint investigation into FIFA’s ticketing practices for the upcoming World Cup as prices soar and controversy brews. 

In a joint release, the attorneys general said fans have reported being “misled” about where the tickets they were purchasing would be located, and, in some cases, failed to receive the tickets they paid for. Davenport and James said they will also investigate ticket pricing, a complaint of thousands of soccer fans who say they’ve been priced out of attending a game this summer.

“Being honest about ticket sales is not complicated,” Davenport said. “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.”

Tickets for the best seats at the World Cup Final, which will be held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, have surpassed $33,000. At MetLife group-stage matches, the cheapest of the tournament, tickets still regularly reach north of a thousand dollars.

FIFA declined to comment Wednesday afternoon.

FIFA granted New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani 1,000 tickets to sell to New Yorkers at $50 each, sparking New Jersey officials to wonder why a similar opportunity didn’t exist for Garden Staters.

Earlier this month, Reps. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) and Frank Pallone (D-Long Branch) wrote a letter to FIFA President Gianni Infantino condemning the soccer federation’s “potentially deceptive” ticket practices.

The attorneys general said that in some cases, fans purchased top-tier “Category 1” tickets, which are closest to the field, but actually received Category 2 tickets from FIFA. They also wrote that after fans had purchased tickets belonging to a certain category, subcategories with even more expensive tickets were created after the fact, pushing their seats back.

“We are committed to conducting a thorough investigation of FIFA’s conduct, and we are proud to stand together with Attorney General James in protecting our consumers,” Davenport said. “It’s an honor to host the World Cup, but the event is not an invitation to exploit our residents and visitors.”

New Jersey sparked its own pricing controversy when state officials announced that NJ Transit tickets to World Cup matches would cost $150, so as not to pass that cost on to Garden State commuters. A group of sponsors — DoorDash, Audible, FanDuel, DraftKings, PSE&G, South Jersey Industries, and American Water — stepped in to lower the train tickets to $98.

This article was updated at 1:38 p.m.