FIFA is under investigation.

Just two weeks before the 2026 World Cup, FIFA is embroiled in a legal crisis. The US government has launched an investigation, accusing the organization of manipulating ticket prices and deceiving fans.

Neymar burst into tears after Brazil lost to Croatia in the quarter-finals of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. Photo: Reuters .

The Attorneys General of New York and New Jersey have launched an investigation into the ticketing practices of the International Football Federation (FIFA) for the 2026 World Cup. The focus is on matches taking place at MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, New Jersey), which will host eight games, including the final on July 19th, according to The Guardian.

Faced with a legal storm and public pressure, the world's most powerful football governing body is choosing to remain silent. To date, a FIFA spokesperson has declined to comment officially on the matter.

The "fake scarcity" trick and exorbitant prices.

The investigation, initiated by New York State Attorney General Letitia James and her New Jersey counterpart Jennifer Davenport, stemmed from a wave of fan outrage. Fans alleged they had been misled about seating arrangements and pointed to FIFA's messaging as the direct cause of the skyrocketing ticket prices throughout the tournament.

"No one deserves to be manipulated into paying exorbitant prices for a seat. Fans have the right to believe that the ticket they buy is exactly what they will receive," Ms. James emphasized.

Meanwhile, Ms. Davenport directly accused FIFA of employing a "fake scarcity" tactic, deliberately withholding a large number of unsold tickets to create artificial demand, thereby driving up the prices of the remaining tickets to exorbitant levels.

Notably, this is the first time such an accusation has been made by a competent law enforcement agency, although the media and fans have previously exposed FIFA's ticket price irregularities on numerous occasions.

US President Donald Trump and FIFA President Gianni Infantino stand beside the ticket to the 2026 World Cup final. Photo: Reuters.

The outrage didn't stop there. The 2026 World Cup was the first tournament where FIFA implemented a "price adjustment based on demand" mechanism, meaning the more people who accessed the website to buy tickets, the higher the price would be.

In reality, this mechanism has only one consequence: it has driven ticket prices to unimaginable levels. Since going on sale, the average ticket price has consistently been above $1,000 per ticket (approximately 26 million VND).

Even on distribution platforms, a ticket to the finals at MetLife Stadium was being sold for an insane price: nearly $33,000 (approximately 868 million VND).

The paradox is that the tickets labeled "economy class" are the ones that are most drastically overpriced.

Under public pressure, FIFA attempted to appease the public by releasing "fan support" ticket packages priced at $60 (approximately 1.5 million VND), but these tickets actually accounted for only a mere 1.6% of the total tickets issued.

Fans were betrayed by FIFA.

Fans are not only frustrated by the price, but also disappointed by the actual seating arrangements.

Traditionally, FIFA sells tickets by category and only assigns specific seating arrangements afterward. Last September, FIFA officials promised the press that they would abandon the old classification system (category 1 along the pitch, category 2 behind the goal, category 3 in the corners...). Instead, tickets would be divided entirely based on distance to the pitch: the entire lowest tier would be category 1, the upper tier category 2, and so on.

But when tickets officially went on sale, FIFA reneged on the agreement, reverting to the old system. Worse still, in April, the organization unexpectedly created an additional "super VIP ticket category" consisting of the first few rows closest to the pitch, with prices many times higher than the rest of the first-class tickets.

MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, the venue for the 2026 World Cup final, is at the center of an investigation by US authorities. Photo: Reuters.

As a result, a large number of fans who had purchased first-class tickets early were pushed out of the best seats. “Reports indicate that fans who bought tickets before this super-VIP category was introduced were relegated to worse positions, including being seated far from the pitch or even behind the goalposts,” the investigation report stated.

A wave of outrage is erupting as many people who paid for second-class tickets end up receiving emails confirming their seats are in the very top row of the stadium.

With only two weeks left until the 2026 World Cup officially kicks off in the US, Mexico, and Canada, FIFA's legal battle may have only just begun, with the involvement of US officials.

Source: https://znews.vn/fifa-bi-so-gay-post1655168.html