VANCOUVER.- The FIFA said this Thursday that it will review its ticket sales strategy for the World Cup 2030 following outrage over high ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup in USA, Mexico and Canada.
The general secretary of football’s governing body, Mattias Grafstromtold reporters that the high ticket prices for this year’s tournament reflect “the reality of the market in North America.”
“I will always understand the fans and their opinions, but I think there is a fairly wide range of ticket prices: some are cheap, others more expensive,” he said at the end of the FIFA Congress in vancouver, Canada.
“But of course, as you know, we listen, we take the feedback into account and, like every World Cup, we will review and see how we do for the next one,” he added.
FIFA has faced harsh criticism for skyrocketing ticket prices for this year’s World Cup.
The fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has described the pricing structure as “extortionate” and a “monumental betrayal” of fans.
Last month, the FSE filed a complaint with the European Commission directed against FIFA for the “excessive ticket prices” for the biggest football event.
Infantino’s position
The president of FIFA, Gianni Infantinoinsists that income prices are simply a consequence of enormous demand.
“In the United States, in particular, there is this thing called dynamic pricing, which means that prices will go up or down,” depending on the party, Infantino said.
FIFA’s own resale platform this week showed four tickets available for the World Cup final, on July 19 at the MetLife Stadiumon the outskirts of New Yorkpriced at $2 million each, according to reports.
Other resale platforms routinely show tickets to the final that cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Grafstrom noted that revenue from the World Cup — estimated to generate up to $13 billion — will be reinvested in soccer.
“The legacy is also what we can do with the money it generates,” said the manager, after being questioned about whether prices would affect the footprint of the World Cup, which begins on June 11.
The 2030 tournament will be played mainly in Spain, Portugal and Moroccowith matches from the initial phase to be played in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
