FIFA rebuffs mayoral hopeful’s demand to drop World Cup dynamic pricing
Zohran Mamdani’s petition presses for price caps and local discounts as FIFA defends dynamic pricing and says revenue is reinvested into the game
FIFA pushed back on a campaign petition by New York mayoral hopeful Zohran Mamdani that called on the governing body to abandon dynamic pricing for the 2026 World Cup and to cap resale prices and reserve discounted tickets for local residents.
Mamdani, a 33‑year‑old state assemblyman from Queens and a Democratic socialist running for mayor, launched the "Game Over Greed" petition Tuesday, saying he fears matches at MetLife Stadium and elsewhere will be resold at "exorbitant" rates on an official FIFA secondary market. The petition, posted on his campaign website, drew thousands of signatures within hours, and he held a press conference in the Bronx to press his demands.
In a statement provided to The Post, a FIFA spokesperson defended dynamic pricing as a "developing market practice" used broadly in major entertainment and sporting events. FIFA said it plans to set aside tickets for "specific fan categories" at fixed prices and emphasized group stage tickets will start at $60.
"The pricing model adopted generally reflects the existing and developing market practice in our co‑hosts for major entertainment and sporting events on a daily basis, soccer included," the spokesperson said. "We are focused on ensuring fair access to our game for existing but also prospective fans, and are offering group stage tickets starting at $60, a very competitive price point for a major global sporting event in the U.S."
FIFA confirmed earlier this month that it will use dynamic pricing for the 2026 tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is scheduled to host eight matches next summer, including the final. FIFA has said ticket prices for the tournament will range from group‑stage seats starting at $60 to a top price of $6,730 for the most expensive ticket to the final.
Mamdani called on FIFA to cap resale prices and to set aside 15 percent of tickets at a discounted rate for local residents. He said at the Bronx event that the World Cup should be an "opportunity to extend this to the people who make this game so special," rather than an occasion for profit.
FIFA defended its official resale platform as a "safe and secure method" for fans to buy and sell tickets within the bounds of U.S. law and said the revenue generated from the World Cup is reinvested into global football development. The governing body said it expects to reinvest more than 90 percent of its budgeted investments for the 2023–2026 cycle back into the sport across its 211 member associations.
The Athletic reported that FIFA could realize roughly $3 billion in ticket revenue from the 2026 tournament. In its statement, FIFA said such funds are necessary to sustain operations, and that without its financial support more than half of member associations would struggle to operate.
Ticketing timelines accelerated this week as FIFA opened the pre‑sale signup window for the 2026 World Cup. The organization did not provide immediate details on how many tickets will be allocated to the fixed‑price categories Mamdani requested, and it did not address a specific cap on resale prices.
Mamdani said he intends to continue pressuring FIFA and raising public awareness about ticket access and affordability as the tournament approaches. FIFA has framed its pricing model as balancing access for fans with the need to generate value that can be redistributed into the global game.
