New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani (D) called on FIFA to abandon dynamic pricing for the 2026 Men’s World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., will host eight World Cup matches — including the final. FIFA’s host city agreement for the matches is with New York City and New Jersey.
As part of his “Game over Greed” petition, Mamdani is asking FIFA to end dynamic pricing, place a cap on resale prices and allot 15 percent of tickets for local residents in host cities. During the past four Men’s World Cups, held in South Africa, Brazil, Russia and Qatar, residents of the host countries received access to cheaper tickets than those available to fans traveling in for the event.
“For the first time, FIFA is using dynamic pricing, where they’re [going to] figure out in real time how much they can get away with for charging a ticket,” Mamdani said in a video on X.
FIFA announced last week it would utilize the dynamic pricing model, with the first phase of ticket sales beginning on Wednesday. The cheapest group-stage tickets will be $60, with the priciest tickets for the final reaching $6,730. But under the dynamic pricing model, ticket prices will fluctuate based on demand. FIFA’s own resale platform will also not place a cap on secondary sales.
“What this all means is the biggest sporting event in the world is happening in your backyard, and you’ll be priced out of it,” Mamdani added.
During a press conference in the Bronx on Wednesday, the Democratic nominee said FIFA “for far too long, has looked upon these World Cups as opportunities for profit, as opposed to opportunities to extend this to the people who make this game so special.”
“We know that once again it will be working people who will be left behind,” Mamdani added.
The dynamic pricing model was used during this summer’s Men’s Club World Cup, which was held in the United States. Due to decreased demand for tickets to the semifinal match between Chelsea FC and Fluminense at MetLife, prices dropped from $473.90 to $13.40 on FIFA’s resale platform.
The event will begin on June 11 of next year, with two matches in Mexico City and Guadalajara, Mexico. It will end on July 19, with the final at MetLife.
The 33-year-old New York State Assemblyman has focused on affordability and cost of living concerns in New York City throughout his campaign for mayor. In an Emerson College Polling/PIX11/The Hill poll released Wednesday, Mamdani garnered support from 43 percent of respondents. His three chief rivals, former Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Republican Curtis Sliwa and incumbent Eric Adams received support from 28, 10 and 7 percent of respondents, respectively.
The Hill has reached out to FIFA for comment regarding Mamdani’s proposal.
