New York and New Jersey attorneys general launched investigations, both announced today, into World Cup ticket pricing following complaints that the world’s soccer governing body allegedly misled fans about the location of seats they were buying.
The attorneys general, Letitia James of New York and Jennifer Davenport of New Jersey, sent subpoenas to FIFA asking about its ticketing practices, with more detailed inquiries pertaining to the eight World Cup matches planned for New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, including the July 19 finals.
FIFA follows a dynamic pricing model, similar to what is used for playoff tickets for top-tier sports leagues in the United States. The seat maps on the ticket sales website show four zones at MetLife, with category one seats in the most desirable location. After many fans purchased tickets, FIFA then added “front” categories one through four, which are more desirable locations than what was advertised previously, though they also cost much more. Fans who bought tickets earlier complained that they didn’t have an opportunity to purchase those better seats, and others complained that they did not receive tickets for the category they paid for….