MLS is pretty popular.
Posted on 05/09/2026 9:45:53 AM PDT by MinorityRepublican
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has again defended high ticket prices for this summer's World Cup and brushed off seats for the final being resold at a cost of more than $2 million.
During an appearance at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills on Tuesday, Infantino addressed the criticism directed at world soccer's governing body over the prices set for the tournament and the adoption of dynamic pricing.
FIFA has been accused by fans of a "monumental betrayal" on ticket costs, but Infantino has previously stressed that the revenue from the flagship tournament supports the development of soccer globally.
Fans have been further angered by the addition of more expensive categories as the tournament approaches. Many of the tickets still on general sale are for the more expensive categories.
"We have to look at the market," Infantino said. "We are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates.
"In the U.S., it is permitted to resell tickets as well, so if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price. And as a matter of fact, even though some people are saying that the ticket prices we have are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double our price."
Tickets are available via resale platforms including FIFA's own marketplace, and last month four seats for the World Cup final were listed at just under $2.3 million each.
FIFA does not control the asking prices on its resale platform but does take a 15% purchase fee from the buyer of each ticket and a 15% resale fee from the seller.
(Excerpt) Read more at espn.com ...
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Yes, in the 1930s going a professional baseball game, in the grand stands, costs about $1, which would be about $19.77 today. Cheaper tickets $0,25 to $0.50 were available in “the bleachers”. But today the average price of a pro baseball game ticket is $60 to $80 dollars.
In the 1930s, baseball was something just about everyone felt they could afford. Not today. But, today, everyone can also choose to just stay home and watch the game on TV.
I think any FIFA game I see this year will be somewhere on the TV, but for me that is always the case.
The last pro sports game I saw at a pro stadium was a football game that some corporate account had given us tickets for free.
“In the U.S., it is permitted to resell tickets as well, so if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price”
Tickets in theory could be sold on-line and physically picked up at the venue in the hour before the event from a machine using the same card by which they were purchased.
Tickets might be printed at home using an image of your picture ID you supplied (just) prior to the time of purchase via a smartphone.
The picture ID might itself be the ticket.
Perhaps the clubs themselves could bypass FIFA in the future.
“....so we have to apply market rates”
Oink!
But FIFA President Gianni Infantino rationalized World Cup ticket prices that are as high as $32,970 for the July 19 final at MetLife Stadium by asserting that those prices are in line with the marketplace for similarly high-profile events in the U.S. And though many people hemmed and hawed in response, he might be (at least partially) right.
https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/complaints-price-world-cup-tickets-100000075.html
I dream of the day we the US win the World Cup, shaming Europe and South America, and the majority of Americans shrug their shoulders and say 'the World what?'.
LOL! FIFA is even more corrupt than either the IOC or the UN. That money is going to FIFA officials. Maybe they drive through some Third World slums and throw out some soccer balls but that's it.
Every time the World Cup comes around there is talk that the sport is really going to take off in the US now. It's never happened. MLS has a small hardcore following here of course, but there is not a player in the MLS who wouldn't jump at playing in La Liga or Italian Serie A or the EPL. And on the flip side, MLS gets the stars who have aged out of playing in those leagues - Messi as an example.
“You call this a soccer riot? Come on boys, let’s take ‘em to school!”
In the late 60s early 70s we could walk to Memorial Stadium and sit in the bleachers for 75 cents to see the Orioles play. And those were very good Orioles teams.
Tennis didn’t really join the mainstream until the start of the ‘Open Era’ in the late 1960s when the professionals were allowed into the majors.
FIFA doesn’t want more American audience cause we’re so cool. We’ve got money. We spend money. We spend money on sports. The fact is the average American spends more being a sports fan (cable, merch, etc) than the vast majority of FIFA fans make. So yeah, they’re charging American prices. That’s literally the whole point.
MLS is pretty popular.
“In the late 60s early 70s we could walk to Memorial Stadium and sit in the bleachers for 75 cents to see the Orioles play. And those were very good Orioles teams. “
Given what I noted about prices in the 1930s, and your statement, just when did baseball ticket prices really start escalating?? I wonder.
Here’s what a google search reported:
1940s: Average ticket prices were roughly $1.00 - $1.50, with some bleacher seats as low as $1.20 in 1945.
1950s: The average ticket price was roughly $1.50 - $1.80.
1960s: Average ticket prices stayed below $3, rising from roughly $1.80 at the start to over $2.60 by 1969.
1970s: Prices began to rise faster, with average tickets reaching over $4.00 by 1980.
1980s: Ticket prices doubled during this decade.
1990s: Average ticket prices rose from roughly $8.40 in 1991 to over $16 by 2000.
2000s: The average price grew from $16.22 in 2000 to over $26 by 2011.
2010s: Average prices continued to climb, exceeding $30 by the end of the decade.
2020s (2024): The average MLB ticket price was $38.02 in 2024.
Well, its still cheaper than a ticket to a broadway show ($130).
I went to one game last season. we were in the centerfield grandstand, lower level, and the tickets were about $40.
5 bucks?
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