TRENTON, N.J. — Soccer fan Jordan Likover paid for a Category 1 ticket to a World Cup match in Arlington, Texas, and discovered FIFA had assigned him a seat behind the goal. "I've heard other people describe it as a rug pull or a shell game," he told CBS News.
Other fans have reported similar seat downgrades at MetLife Stadium, where New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport and New York Attorney General Letitia James subpoenaed FIFA on May 27 over ticketing practices for eight matches including the Final.
Davenport called the scheme "a gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity, and impossibly high prices — all at the expense of consumers and hardworking New Jerseyans." James stated that "New Yorkers have been waiting years for the World Cup to come to their backyard, and they deserve a fair shot at affordable tickets. No one should be manipulated into paying sky-high prices for seats, and fans should be able to trust that the tickets they purchase will be the ones they receive."
The subpoenas landed amid a multi-week buildup of official pressure. On April 19, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer (NY) demanded that the organization cover NJ Transit's full transportation cost. He cited a FIFA-commissioned study projecting $11 billion in tournament revenue and pointing to host cities including Houston where fans ride mass transit for as little as $2.50 per round trip. Democratic U.S. Representatives Frank Pallone (NJ-06) and Nellie Pou (NJ-09) warned of FIFA's "potentially deceptive" ticket pricing practices on May 7.
State and county officials have also pushed back. State Senator Vin Gopal said on April 25 that FIFA should "pay their fair share." Bergen County Executive James Tedesco, a Democrat, sent a formal letter to Host Committee CEO Alex Lasry on May 22, requesting an affordable ticket access program for Bergen residents. Tedesco copied Governor Mikie Sherrill and the Bergen legislative delegation. The Host Committee had not issued a public response as of publication.
Four Republican Assemblymen—Brian Rumpf (9th), Gerry Scharfenberger (13th), Al Barlas (40th) and Michael Inganamort (24th)—sent a separate letter the same day to Lasry and Host Committee board chair Tammy Murphy demanding an itemized accounting of expenditures and equivalent New Jersey access programs. They set a June 6 deadline. The committee had not answered that letter either as of writing.
FIFA's ticketing mechanics are the documented subject of the investigation.
The organization initially sold seats in four zones labeled Category 1 through Category 4. After many fans had already purchased tickets, FIFA created "Front Categories" 1 through 4, consisting of the most desirable seats within each original zone and priced them significantly higher. FIFA excluded early buyers from those seats and assigned them less desirable locations including areas far from the field or behind the goals. Some fans who paid for Category 1 tickets received Category 2 assignments.
Between October 2025 and April 2026, FIFA raised prices for more than 90 of the 104 matches, with the three main categories rising an average of 34 percent. The Athletic reported that FIFA sold more than 3 million tickets through the category-based system before assigning specific seats. The organization's own ticket terms reserve the right to change "category boundaries, seating arrangements, and access points" without refund. Article 7.5 states that seat allocation and team participation "do not form part of a ticket description and are subject to modification by FIFA Ticketing without requiring a refund." The Athletic reported that FIFA has defended its "indicative category maps" as general guidance rather than exact layouts.
The official FIFA resale platform charges a 15 percent "Purchase Fee" and sellers a 15 percent "Resale Fee," totaling 30 percent in facilitation costs on every secondary transaction, according to a European consumer complaint filed in March.
The ticket layer is only the first of several documented costs.
NJ Transit will spend at least $48 million to move fans to MetLife for eight matches. CEO Kris Kolluri told WHYY the breakdown runs roughly $20 million for additional train and bus labor, $11 million for security and the remainder for air conditioning units, rail axles, wheels and other equipment. Governor Sherrill stated on April 17, "In the agreement that my Administration inherited, FIFA put zero dollars towards transporting World Cup fans." The Host Committee later provided 3.6 million.
NJ.com reported that seven corporations donated private funding to reduce the fare, naming DoorDash, Audible, FanDuel, DraftKings, PSE&G, South Jersey Industries and American Water. The companies have not publicly disclosed their contribution amounts. FIFA itself has not contributed directly to NJ Transit costs.
NJ Transit initially priced round-trip rail tickets at $150, cut them to $105 and then to $98. A normal fare from New York Penn Station to MetLife costs $12.90. NJ Transit is capping rail tickets at 40,000 per match and urging regular commuters to work from home on June 22 and June 30.
There is no general spectator parking at MetLife on match days. NorthJersey.com reported that FIFA eliminated an estimated 23,000 parking spots normally available at the stadium to expand its security and media perimeter. Limited premium parking at American Dream costs $225 by advance purchase only. Third-party platforms are listing parking passes at $517 to $1,725.
The municipal layer adds another cost.
Kearny banned short-term rentals in multifamily buildings, with penalties of $750 to $2,000 in fines plus 10 to 30 days in jail. Clifton passed an emergency ordinance temporarily allowing rentals with a sunset clause of December 31, 2026, explicitly citing a "considerable budgetary shortfall." North Bergen restricted rentals to owner-occupied properties with a 60-night cap. East Rutherford, Carlstadt and Lyndhurst maintained pre-existing bans. Fort Lee and Lodi maintained pre-existing bans as well, with respective penalties of $1,250 and $2,000 per day.
The public investment is documented and large. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority has spent or contracted up to $64.4 million on stadium modifications. NJSEA Resolution 2024-33 put $13,045,463 in FY2025 appropriated funds toward field construction alone. NJ Transit will spend at least $48 million moving fans. The agency is building a Secaucus-to-MetLife bus route projected at up to $135 million. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority distributed $5 million in community grants across all 21 counties for watch parties and street festivals.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul allocated $6 million in taxpayer money to reduce NYC shuttle bus fares to $20. Governor Sherrill refused to use taxpayer money for NJ Transit fare reduction, instead directing the agency to seek private sponsors. The November 5, 2025 "support and collaboration agreement" between the two states and the Host Committee states that "each side will have to pay its own way."
New York City is offering $1,000 tickets at $50 to residents through a lottery, a small pool against MetLife's 82,500 seats, but a subsidized access program that Bergen County residents lack entirely. Bergen County residents get $98 train tickets, $225 parking and the traffic congestion Tedesco described in his letter as a day-to-day burden of hosting.
FIFA declined to comment on the subpoenas as of May 28. The Host Committee has also maintained silence on Tedesco's letter, the GOP legislators' inquiry and the attorneys general action. The committee has raised an undisclosed amount of money over three years; it has announced seven 'host city supporters' but has not named them in available reporting.
The Host Committee has said nothing to Tedesco, the GOP legislators or the attorneys general. FIFA has said nothing to the subpoenas. The first MetLife match is June 13. Taxpayers funded the stadium construction. NJ Transit is spending $48 million from its operating budget to move fans. Riders pay nearly eight times the normal rail rate, but would pay more for parking than for the train ticket. At the top of the stack, FIFA controls every seat, every price and every resale through contracts reserving unilateral modification rights.
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Sources
• NJ Office of the Attorney General, "Attorney General Davenport and Attorney General James Announce Investigation into FIFA World Cup Ticket Sales" (May 27, 2026)
• NY Office of the Attorney General, "Attorney General James and Attorney General Davenport Subpoena FIFA Over World Cup Ticketing" (May 27, 2026)
• California Department of Justice, "Attorney General Bonta Seeks Answers from FIFA Regarding Potentially Misleading 2026 World Cup Ticketing Practices" (May 13, 2026)
• Governor Mikie Sherrill, Statement on NJ TRANSIT's World Cup Mobility Plan (April 17, 2026)
• Governor Mikie Sherrill, "Governor Sherrill Announces $5 Million NJ World Cup Community Initiative Grant Recipients" (May 6, 2026)
• Bergen County Executive James Tedesco, "County Executive Tedesco Requests Affordable World Cup Ticket Access for Bergen County Residents" (May 22, 2026)
• NJ Sports and Exposition Authority, Resolution 2024-33, "Consideration of a Resolution Authorizing an Amendment to the Stadium Construction Authorization Agreement for the 2026 FIFA World Cup" (July 25, 2024)
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