New York City’s mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani has taken aim at FIFA’s use of dynamic ticket pricing ahead of the World Cup in 2026. The presumed frontrunner for election to the largest city in the US described the scheme as an “affront to the game”. FIFA implemented a similar scheme at this summer’s Club World Cup in an attempt to maximize revenue and to fill stadia.

It may seem strange for an American politician to be discussing soccer, but those familiar with Mamdani will know that he is a passionate Arsenal fan, and owing much to his Ugandan roots, an avid follower of the game more generally. With the wider New York area hosting eight games across the tournament, including the final, Mamdani knows the potential value of ensuring that there is accessibility for all next summer and that the games are not just for the wealthy elite. His comments underlined a widely held concern that inflated prices, especially in a city like New York, will prove to be especially restrictive:

“There’s just no chance for so many who love this game so much to actually be able to go and see this,” Mamdani said. “This also has a real impact on the potential for the atmosphere of the World Cup and just how many fans will actually be there. Because so often the people who get the tickets quickest are not the ones who are actually the most eager to be there. They’re the ones who are the most excited at the prospect of a profit.”

Mamdani’s comments do somewhat go against the accepted wisdom of US sports and their commercialization. Unlike in Europe, US sports fans are used to the almost universal existence of secondary markets where tickets are sold at the prevailing market rate. Even on the primary market, the average NFL ticket price was $120.94 in 2023, with fans also expecting to pay higher prices for concessions and merchandise versus the equivalent European event – by comparison the average Premier League ticket was in the $40-60 range for the 2022/23 season. So whilst many will rightly be shocked at FIFA’s revenue maximising money grab, those in the US are all too used to schemes that aim to extract the maximum amount of value out of supporters.  It’s worth noting that Mamdani is a self-proclaimed socialist who has even been at odds with other members of the Democratic Party throughout his political rise. That being said, his undeniable popularity in New York means that FIFA would do well to heed his concerns.

What is FIFA’s dynamic pricing model?

The dynamic pricing mechanism is similar to the one used by Ticketmaster for some UK concerts and events, with prices set at an initial price but are then able to change based on demand. If more people want tickets to a game the price will rise, and vice versa. FIFA has confirmed that the cheapest tickets to group stage games will start at $60 and the highest price for the final will be $6,730. For some of the games at the Club World Cup, fans were actually able to buy tickets closer to the event for less than they had originally been put on sale for – FIFA asserts that this model can actually benefit supporters too.

FIFA’s objective though is less charity, but instead a clear use of the economic principle of price discrimination. FIFA is aiming to charge people what they are willing to pay for a ticket, and to erode any consumer surplus that may exist under a rigid pricing system. Consumer surplus is the difference between what a customer is willing to pay for a good versus what they actually paid –  dynamic pricing minimises this value. As much as Premier League ticket prices have continually risen, the fact that most of the clubs in the league still have excess demand suggests that there exists a significant consumer surplus. Mamdani’s own club Arsenal are a great example, they could sell the Emirates Stadium out many times over at the prices they currently charge –  despite these being amongst the highest in the league. So why don’t more clubs follow FIFA’s cash grab revenue maximization model?

Despite actions to erode this, football or soccer is still very much a blue collar and working class game in much of Europe. The bulk of commercial and broadcast appeal is tied directly to that cultural fervour, which to outprice loyal fans would be largely destroyed. It would be wrong to deny that fans aren’t being priced out in Europe, but it isn’t to the same extent as what FIFA have proposed or what US fans have become accustomed to. As a romanticist, this is actually what sets the game apart from other sports and cultural activities. By trying to extract maximum value from supporters, FIFA endangers the very product that they have so aggressively tried to promote and sell in recent years. As supposed custodians of the game, this is a case of gross negligence.

Does dynamic pricing endanger the future of the ‘Beautiful Game’?