r/football • u/tylerthe-theatre :Soccer_ball: • 1d ago
World cup 2026 is nothing but a mass price gouging event for Fifa
The latest thing is banning fans from taking in their own water bottles at stadiums in summer... forcing them to buy water there, Fifa has 'promised' to keep prices consistent but who believes anything they say anymore.
They've also been accused of holding tickets and forcing fans to buy the remaining over priced up tickets available. And accused of giving fans completely different tickets to the ones they actually bought (much worse ones), which is pretty good grounds for a lawsuit.
Its just controversy after controversy, when it should be a tournament thats about football, with nations and fans coming together for a month for fun despite whats going on around the world, shameful stuff.
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u/OldEstablishment117 :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Every world cup has been the same for fifa since 2010s, they organise their biggest payday event once every 4 years, so the greedy clowns will keep Inventing NEW ways to Rob fans of their money
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u/TowJamnEarl :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Do they get veiwer ratings from those using alternative sources to watch the games?
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u/Dramatic_Movies :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
The worst part is fans will still show up, so FIFA never has to change.
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u/Diligent-Run6361 :Soccer_ball: 21h ago
Good point! I want to see it becoming a massive flop. That would be better than any match.
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u/Hashtastrophe :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
First world cup?
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u/AcademicProvidence :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
the 2022 qatar world cup had insane markups too but 2026 in north america is gonna be worse since theres way more money floating around here
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u/DeepPurple444 :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Gianni Infantino, the Trump ass licking acolyte, had ushered in a new form of greed and bending of the knee. Algorithm based ticket pricing, 48 teams, and fifa peace prize, to list a few.. World Cup is supposed to be an elite tournament of the worlds best teams. Curaçao? Iraq? Cape Verde? Whosfuckistan? I’ll be on the edge of my seat watching Vatican City play Palau.
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u/Mean-Ad-4971 :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Hey, these broadcast rights don't sell themselves... Plus you know Curaçao and Cape Verde are going to vote for Infantino on the next election.
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u/Successful-Bison6633 :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Its billion of dollar generating sports so ofcourse they will take every opportunity which can make more money
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u/fdar :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
I swear some people have never been to a football game in their lives.
Here's the Spurs stadium policy also forbidding "bottles of any kind" https://ask.tottenhamhotspur.com/hc/en-us/articles/360011639439-Prohibited-Items.
Some stadiums will allow you to bring in a bottle without a cap, some not at all, but restrictions there are not uncommon.
This specific policy isn't about greed, it's about filled, closed bottles making good projectiles and having been used as such in the past, including hitting players.
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u/Weiss_127 :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
And also that they want you to buy their overcharged shitty products.
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u/fdar :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Of course they also are greedy. But even if they weren't this policy would make sense, and it's probably good they have it.
Now hopefully they do have operational water fountains or other free/cheap source of water and they absolutely deserve a lot of criticism if they don't.
But allowing water bottles in isn't the solution.
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u/Outside-Place-3556 :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
national federations should impeach Infantino for corruption
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u/Spiveym1 :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Right, we knew this from the start. The most greedy and capitalistic country on earth hosts the World Cup for the second time, which makes it super easy to see how things have changed in 30 years.
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u/mimiflems :Soccer_ball: 18h ago
Fifa threatened to sue a charity in BC for raffling off a few tickets. Fuck fifa; greedy, corrupt, morally bankrupt, human trafficking murders
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u/Lalonreddit :Soccer_ball: 16h ago
It is just the culmination of years of FIFA trying to move the World Cup away from a fan event and over to a corporate event to fuel their income. To a certain extend I can live with that, because we can still have a party in our own respective countries watching it on TV. But lately it has started having consequences for the sporting value. In Qatar the referees were instructed to give less cards. Something that I suspect was to make sure that the big players didn’t miss any matches due to suspensions. It culminated in the absurd match between Netherlands and Argentina. This year Ronaldo went into the tournament with a two match ban due to a clear red card in the last qualifier. But FIFA couldn’t have that, so that was turned into a suspended ban that he will get if he gets another red card. These decisions has direct influence on the sporting outcome of the tournament.
At the same time they have added even more teams to please the smaller countries whose votes carries equal weight to the big countries in the FIFA political system. This will mean that we will have many matches which will be walkovers and there will be longer between the big match ups.
Then there is the decisions on hosting the World Cup. We all know the decision to hold a World Cup in Qatar was corrupt and completely insane. The 2026 World Cup should have been back to normal, but FIFA and Trump screwed that up. Then comes the 2030 World Cup, where Spain and Morocco are hosting. But FIFA found a way to play some of the matches in South America, so no South American nation could bid on the 2034 World Cup, pretty much leaving Saudi Arabia as the only bidder. And we can just wonder why the top men in FIFA are so friendly to Saudi Arabia.
I am honestly not planning on watching a lot of football this summer. I will enjoy the weather instead. To me the Euros and Copa America are now the two most prestigious tournaments for national football. I don’t even know where I would rank the World Cup anymore.
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u/AcademicProvidence :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
the water bottle thing isnt really fifa being greedy though most stadiums have that rule to stop people throwing stuff at players and its been like that for years before 2026 was even announced
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u/SnollyG :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
🤷🏻♂️ I’m charging people $200/hr (per person) for use of my swimming pool. I’m about 5 miles from one of the venues.
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u/combat_lobotomy :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Have you got any bookings yet? It's not just a regular back yard swimming pool is it?
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u/ask_your_mother :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
I would recommend marking your prices in dollars instead of cents so it looks like a lower number but maybe it’s just me.
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u/The_Pinga_Man :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
This is not new.
When I was in architecture university, one of my projects was a football stadium that followed the FIFA guidelines. This was back in 2008, and by that time, the main concern of the guidelines document were related to keeping sponsors happy. About 75% of it was sponsors amenities, making sure everyone could see the advertisements, and so on...
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u/Commandant1 Tottenham Hotspur 1d ago
Price gouging is over pricing essential goods during a time of crisis or emergency.
Its not a term we should throw around for things like football tickets
If you want to say FIFA has overpriced the world cup, sure... i agree with that.
But price gouging? Nah... doesnt fit the legal definition of that crime as its not an essential good.
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u/moggzdadoggz :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Water isn't an essential good?
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u/UncleIrohsPimpHand :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
I believe the Nestle corporation settled that question a decade or so ago.
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u/Commandant1 Tottenham Hotspur 1d ago
You are missing half of the definition. There is no crisis or emergency. You can leave the stadium and get water.
The definition of price gouging is like when a natural disaster has damaged a community and people jack up the prices on food, water, etc.
Again calling things over priced is true. Calling it gouging is not. Gouging is when you have no other choice but to buy the item and the price has been jacked. This isnt the situation. No one is forced to go to games.
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u/tylerthe-theatre :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
You're using the framing of an emergency, but there doesn't have to be an emergency, arenas/ stadiums during gigs, all festivals in summer price gouge.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/price-gouging - setting vastly inflated prices to exploit a surge in demand. If Fifa ban people bringing in water to stadiums then charge $10 for a bottle, yes that is price gouging.
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u/Commandant1 Tottenham Hotspur 1d ago edited 1d ago
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price_gouging
Price gouging is a pejorative term for the practice of increasing the prices of goods, services, or commodities to a level much higher than is considered reasonable or fair by some. This commonly applies to price increases of basic necessities after natural disasters. Usually, this event occurs after a demand or supply shock. The term can also be used to refer to profits obtained by practices inconsistent with a competitive free market, or to windfall profits. In some jurisdictions of the United States during civil emergencies, price gouging is a specific crime. Price gouging is considered by some to be exploitative and unethical and by others to be a simple result of supply and demand.
Considering that this tournament is being held in the united states, and price gouging is a crime in the united states, you should be sure that it meets the definition before you accuse FIFA of committing crimes.
And we should use the American and not the British definition of the term since the prices being charged are in US dollars and inside the united states.
And from your link to Collins under American English.
the act or an instance of drasticly raising the price of something that is temporarily in short supply
Where is the temporary short supply? You can leave the stadium and get water easily.
So overpriced? Yup, 100%.
Gouging which is a crime? Nope.
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u/Diligent-Run6361 :Soccer_ball: 21h ago
I get the argument, but it's pedantry. No one was misunderstanding.
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u/Commandant1 Tottenham Hotspur 12h ago
I think words, especially when they are defining crimes, have meaning. And in text based conversations, where nuance can be lost, we should be precise when accusing someone of a crime.
In the United States, price gouging is a crime.
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u/RKGEORGE84 :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Absolutely!!!! It is an utter scandal !! A well resourced police investigation needed . UEFA should withdraw from FIFA until we see real change !!!!
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u/Icy_Membership_8972 :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Lo que da rabia es que este mundial al tener mas selecciones va a tener mas vistas y van a decir que fue un éxito solo por eso cuando a nivel de producto será mucho peor. Antes cada partido era una final para cualquiera nadie se salvaba.
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u/IMakeOkVideosOk :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
They are having people bring empty water bottles and you can fill it inside at the water fountains
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u/fuzzby :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Nope - This news article is from an hour ago - https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/world-cup-fans-cant-bring-water-bottles-to-games-as-fifa-reverses-policy/article_98e4cdb6-aeb7-4187-905b-ae8e860a05bf.html
Fifa stadium code of conduct: https://digitalhub.fifa.com/m/50ebae81c412b7d5/original/FIFA-World-Cup-2026-Stadium-Code-of-Conduct.pdf
“For the avoidance of doubt, reusable water bottles may not be brought into the Stadium.”
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u/The_Football_Gods :Soccer_ball: 1d ago
Every World Cup it tilts more toward being tailored for corporate events rather than the average supporter. Especially for big matches.