FIFA is facing an investigation in the US after fans accused organisers of misleading ticket buyers and fuelling sky-high prices for World Cup matches at New York’s MetLife Stadium12:43, 28 May 2026Updated 12:43, 28 May 2026Sky-high ticket prices for England’s World Cup clash at the iconic MetLife Stadium are at the centre of an investigation led by criminal prosecutors in the US.‌The attorneys general of New York and New Jersey have jointly issued subpoenas demanding documents from football's world governing body, FIFA, acting on a wave of complaints from supporters. Many claim they were deceived about the seats they were buying and then charged prices that bore no relation to what they actually received.‌Among those to feel the full force of FIFA's chaotic system was England supporter, John Pearson, from Hull, who had spent weeks trying to secure tickets for the Panama game, said: "I've followed England home and away for 28 years, and I've never seen anything like this. FIFA seem to think fans are just cash machines to be emptied. It's a disgrace.”‌The 53-year-old said he could not justify the cost and will miss his first World Cup since France in 1998. At the heart of the probe are allegations that fans were misled about where their seats are located, and that FIFA's own public statements and ticketing releases helped drive prices into the stratosphere.England supporters travelling to watch the Three Lions face Panama at the iconic MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on June 27 have been among those hit hardest.‌The stadium - rebranded as the New York New Jersey Stadium for the duration of the tournament - is hosting eight World Cup fixtures, including the final on July 19.The World Cup is being shared between the United States, Mexico and Canada, with the first match kicking off on June 11. Prosecutors are examining whether FIFA altered its seating maps after tickets had already gone on sale. Originally, the venue was divided into four zones - categories one through to four - with lower numbers indicating the seats closer to the pitch.But once sales were underway, investigators are looking into whether FIFA created entirely new zones and inserted additional front sections into each category. Fans who believed they had secured prime seats found themselves reassigned behind the goals or higher up in the stadium.‌The subpoenas demand information on how tickets are allocated to FIFA's member associations, how many seats are available in each category per match, and the full breakdown of the process.Face-value tickets for group stage matches started at around £45, rising to more than £445. For the final, face-value prices reached as much as £8,180 - before the resale frenzy pushed costs to unimaginable levels, with some platforms listing final tickets for close to £1.5 million.Such has been the public outcry that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani stepped in last week, announcing an initiative to make £37 tickets available to city residents.‌New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport was blunt in her assessment. "Being honest about ticket sales is not complicated," she said. "But FIFA has turned buying a ticket to the World Cup into a gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity, and impossibly high prices."Her New York counterpart, Attorney General Letitia James, added that fans "deserve a fair shot at affordable tickets" and that "fans should be able to trust that the tickets they purchase will be the ones they receive."The investigation in New York and New Jersey is not the only legal issue FIFA is facing. Earlier this month, California Attorney General Rob Bonta also formally requested information from FIFA to assess whether his state's consumer protection laws were broken during the sales process.Article continues belowFIFA has declined to comment on the investigations.The organisation has previously stated that its pricing strategy spans a broad range of categories and price points, reflecting market demand for each fixture.