The Trump administration’s World Cup Chief Andrew Giuliani has “defended the high cost of tickets” for U.S. matches, indicating that the market, which “reflects enthusiasm for the tournament,” is dictating the price, according to Stephanie Findlay of the FINANCIAL TIMES. Giuliani said that if people were “unable to afford tickets they could attend Fifa fan festivals or low-cost or free live-viewing events hosted in cities where the matches are held.” Giuliani: “We look to Fifa as a private entity here, we don’t really believe in price controls.” Findlay noted FIFA has used dynamic pricing -- where algorithms are used to determine price based on demand -- to set ticket costs, “drawing criticism from fans over sky-high prices.” The organization’s officials have “defended the practice,” saying that the “revenue supports the global development of the sport.” Giuliani said that the initial ticket sales for U.S. matches “were on a ‘pretty good pathway, with over 5mn sold’ by the last week of April.” He added that concerns over U.S. immigration enforcement were “not deterring international fans from coming to the tournament,” despite warnings last month from the American Civil Liberties Union and other human rights groups that visitors “may be at risk of arrest and deportation” (FINANCIAL TIMES, 5/7).
UNREALISTIC PRICES: In N.Y., James Franey wrote President Trump “blasted sky-high” World Cup tickets, saying that “even he wouldn’t pony up the $1,000 needed” to watch the U.S. play in the team’s opening game against Paraguay next month. Trump “reacted with surprise at how much American soccer fans were currently being asked to pay to attend the June 12 match” in L.A. Trump said, “I did not know that number,” just hours after FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the cost of seats for next month’s tournament. Trump added, “I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you” (N.Y. POST, 5/7).
TRIPLING THE COST: The AP noted FIFA “tripled the price of its best available tickets to the World Cup final, making $32,970 seats available” Thursday for the July 19 match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. It previously had a high price of $10,990 for category one. The $10,990 category for the final was available Thursday night only as wheelchair and easy access amenity category one. Tickets for the July 14 semifinal at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, “were listed at $11,130, $4,330, $3,710 and $2,705.” Seats for the following day’s semifinal at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium “were at $10,635, $3,545 and $2,725.” Seats for the U.S. opener against Paraguay on June 12 at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif., “were available for $2,735, $1,940 and $1,120,” while tickets for the Americans’ June 19 game against Australia at Seattle “were listed at $2,715.” Tickets for the Americans’ group-stage finale against Turkey at Inglewood on June 25 “were $2,970, $1,345, $990 and $840” (AP, 5/7). USA TODAY’s Seth Vertelney wrote the new release of tickets “comes amid a clear pattern of prices falling on third-party resale sites for the tournament.” FIFA has been under “intense criticism for the prices of tickets at the World Cup,” which are “significantly higher than previous editions of the tournament” (USA TODAY, 5/7).
PRICIEST GAME: WALL STREET JOURNAL’s Rachel Bachman notes of the 104 matches scheduled for the five-week tournament, “none has created a more eye-popping market than the first-round game between Portugal and Colombia.” Slated for June 27 in Miami -- and likely featuring Cristiano Ronaldo in his final World Cup -- it “now costs more than the Super Bowl.” This week, the “cheapest resale tickets for that game were averaging about $2,500,” according to TicketData, which tracks activity across resale sites. That is the “priciest group-stage game that doesn’t feature any of the tournament’s three co-hosts” -- the U.S., Mexico and Canada. And it is “even higher than the average get-in price for the 2025 Super Bowl, which was $2,109,” according to TicketData (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/8).
