Market Of Bliss
Photo by lifewithtorisamone on Tiktok
FIFA defended its pricing strategy
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A Virginia woman’s TikTok video is drawing a lot of attention after she pointed out what she described as a major gap between FIFA’s originally advertised World Cup ticket prices and what fans are actually paying now. The video, posted by Tori Samone Golden (@lifewithtorisamone), has racked up over 207,000 views and has since prompted a formal response from FIFA.
Golden’s main point centers on ticket prices. According to her video, FIFA originally said tickets would start at $60. But when she checked current listings, she found the cheapest available ticket was $167, which she described as “almost a 300% increase.”
Golden also claimed in her video that FIFA takes a cut from resale transactions as well. According to The Guardian, FIFA charges both sellers and buyers a 15% fee each on resold tickets, meaning the organization collects 30% in total from every resale, so for every $1,000 traded through FIFA’s resale platform, FIFA reportedly keeps $300. Golden had stated FIFA takes 33%, which is a slight overstatement of the reported figures.
FIFA claims prices are “extremely competitive”
In a statement provided to BroBible, a FIFA spokesperson said the organization has offered group stage tickets starting from $60, calling it “an extremely competitive price for a once-in-a-lifetime major global sporting event taking place in North America.” FIFA said that 130,000 tickets have been made available at the $60 price point across the tournament through participating teams, including over 1,000 for the final.
However, FIFA clarified that these $60 tickets are specifically set aside for supporters of qualified teams, with the selection and distribution process managed by each country’s football association. “Each PMA can define its own eligibility criteria and application process,” the spokesperson said, adding that associations are asked to ensure tickets go to “loyal fans who are closely connected to their national teams.”
On the subject of resale, FIFA said its resale marketplace provides “a safe, transparent and secure environment for fans to sell or transfer tickets to other fans,” and that its fees are “aligned with industry standards across North American sports and entertainment sectors.”
The spokesperson also noted that FIFA is a not-for-profit organization, and that revenue from the World Cup “is reinvested to support the development of men’s, women’s and youth football across all 211 FIFA member associations.”
Despite FIFA President Gianni Infantino reportedly claiming that demand has exceeded expectations by “a factor of 10 or more,” many games appear to have had noticeable numbers of empty seats. The World Cup’s unsold ticket situation and visible empty stadiums have drawn significant media attention too.
Golden confirmed in an email to Brobible that she had not personally tried to buy tickets, but said fans reached out to her after the video went up. “One fan in Seattle stated that the starting price for those tickets is $2,500 when she last checked,” she wrote.
“Another fan checked and stated 2 days ago the lowest ticket she saw was $1,531.” She added that while American viewers of her video generally acknowledged that soccer is not a top-priority sport in the US, many said they “were willing to travel and watch a match or two” had prices been more reasonable.
The broader backdrop to the pricing controversy involves the terms FIFA reportedly sought from host cities. According to Business Insider, when Chicago previously declined to pursue a World Cup host bid, then-Mayor Rahm Emanuel cited “the uncertainty for taxpayers, coupled with FIFA’s inflexibility and unwillingness to negotiate.”
The requirements at the time reportedly included tax exemptions, carveouts from local labor laws, and host governments assuming full financial responsibility for the event and related costs. Golden also noted in her email that reports suggest FIFA’s contracts with US cities outlined that most, if not all, revenue from ticketing, broadcasting, concessions, and parking would go to FIFA, with projected total revenue of around $11 billion.
Fan frustration with the tournament has extended beyond pricing, as calls for a World Cup boycott have also emerged from within the soccer world. In her video, Golden also expressed skepticism that American fans would spend on World Cup tickets the way they might on events like the Super Bowl or NBA Finals.
“I hope them tickets don’t sell,” she said at the end of her video. Comments on the post reflected similar sentiments, with one user writing, “I can’t even tell you who the soccer team is for New England 😭😭 if we got one… like WHO KNOWS since WE DONT CAREEE.” Another added, “I think Nascar might be more popular than soccer here in the U.S.” A third summed up the pricing frustration more directly: “They could have made more money if they would have made the tickets reasonable.”
Published: Jun 16, 2026 09:26 pm