Democrats are adding a new target to their affordability agenda, covering groceries, utilities and homeowners — FIFA, the soccer governing body responsible for organizing the World Cup.
In New York and New Jersey, which are hosting eight tournament matches at MetLife Stadium this summer, a populist pile is getting a boost from the news that transit officials will Nearest part of the country’s busiest railway station For the exclusive use of and charge ticketholders over $100 To access the matches.
New Jersey Governor Mickey Sherrill, a Democrat who was elected last term talking about cost-of-living concerns, is now facing criticism for planning to raise train fares and proposing a special tax for World Cup visitors. But she blames FIFA, a Zurich-based nonprofit, for taking $11 billion from the Games and leaving it to local governments to pay for fan transportation.
“They should pay for the ride, but if they don’t, I will not let New Jersey pay for the ride,” she said in a statement Wednesday.
This is not the first time or place that elected officials have spoken out against FIFA. New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer have all complained about the high prices of World Cup tickets. But the issues have expanded and criticism has intensified just weeks before the tournament’s June start and at a time when the US economy is likely to be hit by the November midterm results.
Mamdani and other Democrats, including Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), are siding with Sherrill.
Schumer criticized FIFA for raking in billions while ticket holders are being “blindsided”. He also blamed the Trump administration, which created a World Cup task force led by Andrew Giuliani, for poor planning and oversight.
“These issues all point to FIFA and the Trump administration failing to protect consumers, while not providing more assistance to local committees and transit agencies to handle significant new costs to operate during the tournament,” Schumer said in a statement.
In response, Giuliani accused the Democrats of poor planning and accused them of using the games as a bailout to balance their books.
“New Jersey and New York asked to host these FIFA World Cup games,” Giuliani said in a statement. “They did this despite having billions in debt on these systems because they know very well that these historic games would invite an economic boom in their backyard. What do the two states have in common? Far left, failed leadership.”
New Jersey Transit, which serves MetLife Stadium, and New York City are both grappling with budget gaps. World Cup proponents estimate that the eight matches will generate more than $3 billion in economic activity in the region, although a recent New York City Council staff memo on the economics of sports noted that some sports economists “have expressed skepticism” about those numbers.
Skyrocketing World Cup tickets have long been an issue for Mamdani, who said “game on greedpetition during his campaign last year.
Democratic strategist Hank Sheinkopf said going after FIFA helps create class divides.
He said, “Anything that can be used to create discord between the haves and the have-nots immediately aids the left and helps Mamdani make his case.”
Ironically, some concerns about costs arise when local governments try to avoid subsidizing wealthy ticketholders. That’s why Sherrill’s New Jersey Transit is expected to charge so much to transport fans from New York Penn Station to games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and back.
Originally, the World Cup hosts – in this case New York City and the state of New Jersey – were to provide free transportation to the matches. But according to a person close to the planning process, who was granted anonymity to speak candidly, FIFA no longer needs it at the end of 2023.
This meant that transit agencies were free to charge fans special rates. Although this is intended to protect taxpayers, it also highlights how expensive the World Cup is.
FIFA did not respond to a request for comment.
In New Jersey, officials tallied the expected cost of providing special train and bus service to World Cup fans – including cutting service to regular passengers – and set a price tag of $48 million.
Sherrill said she inherited a situation where FIFA was not paying any money for transportation and she did not want residents to bear the cost. The state’s transit system, New Jersey Transit, is offering discounts to regular riders on days when matches will disrupt traffic, and the governor has proposed a special tax on the area around the stadium where the World Cup will be held.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul, who has clashed once or twice with New Jersey over transit issues, appeared concerned about New Jersey’s “very high price tag” detracting from the World Cup experience.
“We don’t want to throw cold water on this and say, ‘Oh, thanks for coming, now it’s a price you never imagined,'” the Democratic governor said.
But Hochul also said FIFA could find ways to support the World Cup.
“I think FIFA should focus on things that are helpful to the region,” he said.
When asked about New Jersey transit fares, Mamdani said that “FIFA passes a large portion of its costs onto local governments”.
“I think clearly, there’s a lot more we can do in partnership with FIFA to make this a more affordable experience for everyone.” He told PIX11 News This week.
While the federal government has helped fund some transit-related infrastructure, this money does not cover the expenses of transit systems. Last summer, Alex Leary, head of the New York New Jersey World Cup host committee, asked Congress for money to help defray the costs, citing the previous eight Olympic Games held in the U.S. where Congress had provided supplemental transportation funding.
Congress and the Trump administration have not objected to covering the operating costs of the system, although the federal government is providing hundreds of millions of dollars for security.
And ticket prices for the matches remain a live issue for Democrats.
“If soccer is supposed to be accessible to all fans, this corporate World Cup will be too small,” Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing on World Cup planning on Wednesday.
Sophia Cai and Medina Touré contributed to this report.
