[Saba Sports News] According to British media reports, on FIFA’s official World Cup resale website, a ticket for England’s opening match — originally priced at $60 (£45) — is now listed at $2,300 (£1,710), more than 38 times its face value. Reports state that FIFA operates its own resale platform, which allows unlimited price increases and complies with U.S. law. FIFA also profits from the huge markups: the resale price is $2,000, plus a 15% “resale convenience fee” of $300. FIFA takes another 15% ($300) from the seller, giving it a total of $600 in fees on top of the original $60 ticket price. Peter Moore, former CEO of Liverpool, has studied data on World Cup ticket sales and estimates that between 30% and 40% of the seven million available tickets are resold at inflated prices.
The editor believes that FIFA has effectively legalized speculation and is profiting from it. Reselling tickets above face value is legal in the United States, and FIFA explicitly permits this practice. FIFA charges both buyers and sellers a 15% fee on resales. This sends a strong message that they are not cracking down on speculation, but participating in it.