The World Cup is a scam

The World Cup isn’t for me.

That's not “me” the sports writer, who will keep up with the tournament no matter what because it’s my job. But “me” the dad from Maryland just trying to make ends meet.

I’m not a a soccer fanatic. I’m a casual. And while there’s always the potential for a fan like me to be converted into something more, that’s not the goal of the World Cup judging by the price of admission, where 75 percent of group stage tickets cost more than $300, according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino himself.

Many of the tickets were much more. Add in the cost of travel, lodging and meals, and you have to be a real fan to shell out that kind of bread in this economy.

TAILGATING: Boston changed its stance on World Cup

And you know what? I’m OK with FIFA overlooking folks like me. This is the World freaking Cup after all. There's no shortage of people ready and willing to pay to get in. It's probably a missed opportunity to make a dent in one of the few nations soccer still isn’t a dominant sport. But whatever, that’s FIFA's problem.

However, what I do take issue with more than pricing out would-be fans is the way the world soccer governing body is seemingly scamming people who do actually follow the sport. Rather than being a giant showcase of the sport and its greatest players and nations, the World Cup seems like just a giant money grab.

MILLIONS: Someone really listed $2M World Cup tickets

How so? Look no further than the lottery system fans used to blind purchase tickets for seats to be announced months later. People are now getting those seating assignments, and even fans who bought tickets in the second-highest price tier are finding themselves in the nosebleeds of group-stage matches, as The Dallas Morning News recently wrote and FTW can confirm.

My colleague Andrew Joseph bought a Category 2 seat at SoFi Stadium for this fantastic view of the rafters.

According to The Guardian, the most expensive ticket to this year’s final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey is $11,000, almost seven times more than the priciest ticket to the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar at $1,600.

And Infantino had the nerve to defend the prices by lying about how much it costs to get into other sporting events. “You cannot go to watch in the U.S. a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300. And this is the World Cup,” Infantino said Tuesday at the Milken Institute Global Conference.

Well, he was right about one thing, this is the World Cup. And this is the lasting memory a lot of us will have when it leaves. How much of a scam it was.

Way-too-early 2027 NFL mock draft

Dante Moore was better in 2025, but will that hold up in 2026?

Yes, we know the 2026 draft just happened less than two weeks ago, but it's never too early to set the stage for who the top prospects might be in next year's draft.

That's why FTW's Christian D'Andrea put together an early 2027 NFL mock draft, and guess what? Arch Manning is NOT the top pick, or even the top quarterback. Those distinctions belong to Oregon's Dante Moore:

"Moore or Arch Manning? Moore was the better quarterback in 2025, which gives him the edge while acknowledging, right now, there's no wrong answer."

This will be an interesting position battle to follow this college football season.

Gallery of the Day

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda, July 1990

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda attend the Goodwill Games July 29, 1990 in Seattle, WA. The media mogul created the Goodwill Games, first held in Moscow in 1986, to create publicity for Turner Broadcasting, but also as a genuine contribution to world peace.

Media mogul Ted Turner and his wife, actress Jane Fonda, leave the Elysee Palace 18 May 1994 in Paris after visiting the French President François Mitterrand. AFP PHOTO PASCAL PAVANI (Photo by PASCAL PAVANI / AFP) (Photo by PASCAL PAVANI/AFP via Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: US actress Jane Fonda (R) arrives with her husband Ted Turner 27 March for the 67th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Fonda has won an Oscar for her film work and Turner is the head of Turner Enterprises. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)

Oct. 16, 1996; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner greets former President Jimmy Carter before the start of game 6 of the NLCS. At left is Turner's wife, Jane Fonda. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY NETWORK

Oct. 19, 1996; New York, NY, USA; Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner (left) and wife Jane Fonda at Game 1 of the World Series baseball game at Yankee Stadium Sunday night 10/20 between the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY NETWORK

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES: Goodwill Games founder and Time Warner vice-chairman Ted Turner (L) sits courtside with wife, actress Jane Fonda (R) during the first round of the basketball competition at the 1998 Goodwill Games19 July at Madison Square Garden in New York. They watched Puerto Rico defeat the United States 84-76. AFP PHOTO Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)

Oct 19, 1999; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former President Jimmy Carter with Ted Turner and Jane Fonda during game 6 at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY

6/11/99 Ted Turner and Jane Fonda at the 23rd annual Crystal Film Awards. Photo Brenda Chase/Online USA, Inc.

Ted Turner, head of the television network CNN, is sandwiched between his wife Jane Fonda (R) and Graca Machel, wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela during a visit to Hout Bay, Cape Town 02 November 1999. The Turners are attending a conference organized by the United Nations Foundation in the city. (Photo by ANNA ZIEMINSKI / AFP) (Photo by ANNA ZIEMINSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

Jane Fonda giving address at Emerson College.

ATLANTA - JUNE 9: Jane Fonda is escorted by her ex-husband Ted Turner during the retro premiere of the movie "9 to 5" for the 8th Annual Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention gala June 9, 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images)

ATLANTA, GA - MAY 12: CNN founder Ted Turner (L) meets with former President Jimmy Carter and his ex-wife Jane Fonda at UNICEF Stars for Little Stars Gala Benefit on May 12, 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia. The event benefits UNICEF's Audrey Hepburn Memorial Fund. (Photo by Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images)

BURBANK, CA - OCTOBER 16: Ted Turner (L) and actress Jane Fonda and their guest attend the 20th annual Enviornmental Media Association Awards at Warner Brothers Studios on October 16, 2010 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

BURBANK, CA - OCTOBER 16: Actress Jane Fonda (R) pulls Ted Turner's coat during the 20th annual Enviornmental Media Association Awards at Warner Brothers Studios on October 16, 2010 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

BURBANK, CA - OCTOBER 16: Ted Turner (L) and actress Jane Fonda attend the 20th annual Enviornmental Media Association Awards at Warner Brothers Studios on October 16, 2010 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

BURBANK, CA - OCTOBER 16: Ted Turner (L) and actress Jane Fonda speak during the 20th annual Enviornmental Media Association Awards at Warner Brothers Studios on October 16, 2010 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 09: Ted Turner and Jane Fonda attend GCAPP "Eight Decades of Jane" in Celebration of Jane Fonda's 80th Birthday at The Whitley on December 9, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for GAACP)

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 09: Academy-Award Winning Actress Jane Fonda and CNN's Founder Ted Turner attends GCAPP "Eight Decades of Jane" in celebration of Jane Fonda's 80th birthday at The Whitley on December 9, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for GAACP)

ATLANTA OCTOBER 04: Guest, Jane Fonda - GCAPP Founder Board Chair Emeritus and Media Mogul and Philanthropist Ted Turner attend The 2018 Georgia Campaign For Adolescent Power & Potential (GCAPP) EmPower Party - Hosted by Jane Fonda on October 4, 2018 at The Fairmont in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for GCAPP)

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Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda, July 1990

1 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda, July 1990

2 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda attend the Goodwill Games July 29, 1990 in Seattle, WA. The media mogul created the Goodwill Games, first held in Moscow in 1986, to create publicity for Turner Broadcasting, but also as a genuine contribution to world peace.

3 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

Media mogul Ted Turner and his wife, actress Jane Fonda, leave the Elysee Palace 18 May 1994 in Paris after visiting the French President François Mitterrand. AFP PHOTO PASCAL PAVANI (Photo by PASCAL PAVANI / AFP) (Photo by PASCAL PAVANI/AFP via Getty Images)

4 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: US actress Jane Fonda (R) arrives with her husband Ted Turner 27 March for the 67th annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Fonda has won an Oscar for her film work and Turner is the head of Turner Enterprises. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP via Getty Images)

5 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

Oct. 16, 1996; Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner greets former President Jimmy Carter before the start of game 6 of the NLCS. At left is Turner's wife, Jane Fonda. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro/USA TODAY NETWORK

6 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

Oct. 19, 1996; New York, NY, USA; Atlanta Braves owner Ted Turner (left) and wife Jane Fonda at Game 1 of the World Series baseball game at Yankee Stadium Sunday night 10/20 between the New York Yankees and the Atlanta Braves. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch/USA TODAY NETWORK

7 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

NEW YORK, UNITED STATES: Goodwill Games founder and Time Warner vice-chairman Ted Turner (L) sits courtside with wife, actress Jane Fonda (R) during the first round of the basketball competition at the 1998 Goodwill Games19 July at Madison Square Garden in New York. They watched Puerto Rico defeat the United States 84-76. AFP PHOTO Stan HONDA (Photo credit should read STAN HONDA/AFP via Getty Images)

8 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

Oct 19, 1999; Atlanta, GA, USA; Former President Jimmy Carter with Ted Turner and Jane Fonda during game 6 at Turner Field. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY

9 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

6/11/99 Ted Turner and Jane Fonda at the 23rd annual Crystal Film Awards. Photo Brenda Chase/Online USA, Inc.

10 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

Ted Turner, head of the television network CNN, is sandwiched between his wife Jane Fonda (R) and Graca Machel, wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela during a visit to Hout Bay, Cape Town 02 November 1999. The Turners are attending a conference organized by the United Nations Foundation in the city. (Photo by ANNA ZIEMINSKI / AFP) (Photo by ANNA ZIEMINSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

11 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

Jane Fonda giving address at Emerson College.

12 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

ATLANTA - JUNE 9: Jane Fonda is escorted by her ex-husband Ted Turner during the retro premiere of the movie "9 to 5" for the 8th Annual Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention gala June 9, 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images)

13 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

ATLANTA, GA - MAY 12: CNN founder Ted Turner (L) meets with former President Jimmy Carter and his ex-wife Jane Fonda at UNICEF Stars for Little Stars Gala Benefit on May 12, 2003 in Atlanta, Georgia. The event benefits UNICEF's Audrey Hepburn Memorial Fund. (Photo by Erik S. Lesser/Getty Images)

14 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

BURBANK, CA - OCTOBER 16: Ted Turner (L) and actress Jane Fonda and their guest attend the 20th annual Enviornmental Media Association Awards at Warner Brothers Studios on October 16, 2010 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

15 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

BURBANK, CA - OCTOBER 16: Actress Jane Fonda (R) pulls Ted Turner's coat during the 20th annual Enviornmental Media Association Awards at Warner Brothers Studios on October 16, 2010 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

16 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

BURBANK, CA - OCTOBER 16: Ted Turner (L) and actress Jane Fonda attend the 20th annual Enviornmental Media Association Awards at Warner Brothers Studios on October 16, 2010 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

17 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

BURBANK, CA - OCTOBER 16: Ted Turner (L) and actress Jane Fonda speak during the 20th annual Enviornmental Media Association Awards at Warner Brothers Studios on October 16, 2010 in Burbank, California. (Photo by Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)

18 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 09: Ted Turner and Jane Fonda attend GCAPP "Eight Decades of Jane" in Celebration of Jane Fonda's 80th Birthday at The Whitley on December 9, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for GAACP)

19 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

ATLANTA, GA - DECEMBER 09: Academy-Award Winning Actress Jane Fonda and CNN's Founder Ted Turner attends GCAPP "Eight Decades of Jane" in celebration of Jane Fonda's 80th birthday at The Whitley on December 9, 2017 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for GAACP)

20 / 20

Ted Turner and Jane Fonda over the years in 20 photos

ATLANTA OCTOBER 04: Guest, Jane Fonda - GCAPP Founder Board Chair Emeritus and Media Mogul and Philanthropist Ted Turner attend The 2018 Georgia Campaign For Adolescent Power & Potential (GCAPP) EmPower Party - Hosted by Jane Fonda on October 4, 2018 at The Fairmont in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Rick Diamond/Getty Images for GCAPP)

More: Captain Planet was our hero, thanks to Ted Turner

Quick hits: Andy Serkis Q&A ... NBA The Run ... and more

• FTW's Cory Woodroof interviewed Andy Serkis about his Animal Farm adaptation finally hitting the big screen after so many years of work on it.
• Our guy Nick Schwartz had a chance to play-test the arcade-style hoops game, NBA The Run, releasing this summer, and it seems like a worthy spiritual successor to NBA Street.
• The Bills released drone footage of their new stadium, and it looks to be just about ready for the new season.
• After a disastrous postseason, C.J. Stroud altered his diet this offseason in an apparent attempt to improve performance.

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This article originally appeared on For The Win: World Cup 2026 ticket prices in the U.S. are an expensive scam