Earlier this year, the England Fans’ Embassy estimates that a fan attending every England match if they made it to the final even buying tickets in the cheapest category would spend at least $3,180 (£2,364) in a price that has shocked many supporters.
Premium final tickets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey exceeding $6,700 whilst resale prices have risen well above $10,000. Combine that with travel, accommodation, food and many more costs than that means the majority of fans are priced out of the tournament.
The system is broken
Speaking to The Atheltic, Mamdani has revealed his frustration with the ticketing system, which he believes is destroying the game.
"I’ve spoken to a number of New Yorkers who tried to buy tickets, and it wasn’t only an issue of just how unaffordable the tickets were, but also just the mess of that system.
“There’s a desperate need for more clarity and for more of a commitment that this be a tournament for people who already call the city home.
“Sport has been so commercialised and corporatised that fans have become viewed as a commodity. It is the place of leaders to step up when we see profit as the only motive, to an extent where so many who used to attend these very events can now not even conceive of doing so.”
What is the fix?
The Athletic also reported on Friday that Fifa would charge a 15 per cent commission on tickets bought and sold on its official resale platform but with the tickets being sold for so much more, the charge is hardly effective.
Mamdani spoke more on the controversy and explained what he thinks should happen to allow fans a better chance at attending.
“What I’m asking for in my petition is all precedented. This is how FIFA has operated in the past. These are demands to simply return to the ways in which they engaged with previous World Cups.
“We have become numb to the continued commodification of the game, where asking FIFA to just do what they’re doing in Mexico (prohibiting ticket resales) is seen as an audacious request.”