New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has called on FIFA to intervene and cap ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, warning that the growing commercialisation of football is locking out ordinary fans.
Mamdani, a Ugandan-born American politician, voiced his concerns as outrage grows over the high cost of tickets for next year’s tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Premium final tickets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey are reportedly selling for over $6,700, with resale prices exceeding $10,000.
Even the cheapest tickets could cost around $3,180 for fans following one team to the final.
“The system is broken,” Mamdani told The Athletic, expressing frustration over both the cost and the chaos surrounding ticket sales.
“It wasn’t only an issue of just how unaffordable the tickets were, but also just the mess of that system.
“There’s a desperate need for more clarity and a commitment that this be a tournament for people who already call the city home.”
He added that the sport’s rapid corporatisation had turned fans into commodities.
“Sport has been so commercialised and corporatised that fans have become viewed as a commodity. It is the place of leaders to step up when we see profit as the only motive.”
FIFA’s resale platform charges a 15 percent commission, but Mamdani said this policy is ineffective given the astronomical resale prices.
He is demanding that the governing body return to its previous practice of restricting ticket resales — as Mexico has already done for its host venues.
“What I’m asking for in my petition is all precedented,” he said.
“These are demands to simply return to the ways in which they engaged with previous World Cups.”
The last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup, a ticket to the final was <$200 — in today’s dollars.
Next year, we’re looking at *face value* tickets of $6,000.
I joined Lina Khan on @pablofindsout last week to talk about FIFA’s absurd and greedy ticketing plans. pic.twitter.com/vazodD7Qe3
— Zohran Kwame Mamdani (@ZohranKMamdani) September 23, 2025
Nine African nations — including Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, and Nigeria — have qualified for the 2026 tournament.
However, with sky-high ticket and travel costs, many African fans may find attending the World Cup beyond reach despite the historic expansion of African representation.
