United States attorneys have issued a subpoena against FIFA due to the controversy surrounding ticket prices for the upcoming 2026 World Cup in the country, co-hosted by Mexico and Canada. FIFA have gone under fire due to allegations of “artificially inflating prices” and “misleading fans” over the sale of tickets for the World Cup.
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According to a report from BBC Sports, attorneys general of New York and New Jersey officially launched an investigation into FIFA’s practices. The report also stated that New Jersey attorney general Jennifer Davenport called the ticket price process a “gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity and impossibly high prices” and there would be a “thorough investigation of Fifa’s conduct.”
This includes subpoenaing world football’s governing body to provide information. New York attorney general Letitia James and the New York City department of consumer and worker protection (DCWP) were also present during Davenport’s announcement.
DCWP commissioner Samuel AA Levine said the body would be taking “allegations of blatantly deceptive conduct very seriously” and would look into allegations of “artificially inflating prices”. As a result, the subpoena compels FIFA to explain why tickets have “exceeded the prices for any previous World Cup tournament”.
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A subpoena is a legal document that compels a party to release specified internal documents or information. FIFA’s subpoena comes after fans accused the world football governing body of “misleading” them about the location of seats, including creating more expensive ‘front’ category tickets released after the initial sales.
FIFA was also accused of raising prices for about 90 of the 104 fixtures by an average of 34%. FIFA is yet to comment on the latest development. However, FIFA president Gianni Infantino had earlier defended the cost by saying they reflect the public’s “absolutely crazy” appetite for the summer tournament.
