"Final Match Stadium Turf Sold for $670: A Glimpse at FIFA's 'Money Feast World Cup' Memorabilia"

High-Priced Memorabilia Continues Despite Criticism of "Turning into Show Business"

The news that even the turf from the final match stadium will be sold at the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America—already criticized as a "money feast World Cup"—is drawing attention.

Artificial turf product for the final match stadium listed on the official FIFA store. Official FIFA Store

According to AP and other foreign media on July 11, the official FIFA store is selling pieces of artificial turf from MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, USA, where the World Cup final will be held on July 19, for $450 (approximately 670,000 won). This product contains the stadium's artificial turf encased in a cubic acrylic case. The acrylic case is engraved with the 2026 World Cup logo, the stadium, the date, and the final match score. A USB containing a video certificate of authenticity is also included.

The official store promoted the product by saying, "Own a piece of a 2026 FIFA World Cup stadium and keep a piece of football history." It also noted that the product was designed for collectors, fans, and football enthusiasts alike. AP criticized FIFA, which is already under fire for its high pricing policy at this World Cup, stating, "FIFA is now going as far as selling the final stadium itself."

Although the turf memorabilia is being sold at a high price, there are suspicions that the actual turf condition is not very good. The turf at New York New Jersey Stadium was supplied from a turf farm in North Carolina and installed in early May. After installation, players from Brazil and France, who played early matches of the World Cup at this stadium, criticized the turf as "dry and difficult to play on."

Despite the controversy, FIFA continues to transform the turf at New York New Jersey Stadium into a high-priced collectible for sale. However, the product is currently sold out. The UK-based company "Keep Stubb," which produces the turf memorabilia, is expected to earn $11.2 million (about 16.8 billion won) in sales.

Earlier, in May, FIFA also focused on launching high-priced collectibles, selling limited-edition uniforms for each host city for $375 (about 560,000 won) each.

Meanwhile, the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North and Central America, criticized as the most extravagant "money feast World Cup" ever, implemented a "dynamic pricing" system for stadium tickets for the first time, with ticket prices varying according to demand. As a result, the official highest ticket price for this World Cup was $10,990 (about 15 million won). This is nearly eight times higher than the previous record for the 2022 Qatar World Cup final, where the highest seat price was $1,604 (about 2.41 million won).

Additionally, the "hydration break"—a mandatory three-minute break given at the 22nd minute of both the first and second halves—was introduced under the pretext of protecting players but is criticized for being entirely commercial in nature. These breaks allow for 12 advertising spots per match, each lasting 30 seconds. Experts estimate that TV advertising revenue in the U.S. alone could reach as much as $600 million (about 810 billion won) during the tournament.

The World Cup final will also feature a "halftime show" modeled after the Super Bowl, enabling broadcasters to reap enormous advertising profits. This year, the price for a 30-second Super Bowl ad reached a record $10 million (about 1.5 billion won).

In addition, the number of World Cup matches has increased from 64 to 104, and with broadcasting rights and sponsorships, the expected total revenue from this World Cup is estimated at approximately $13 billion (about 19.6 trillion won). This is the highest total revenue in World Cup history. It is more than double the total revenue of the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics (4.49 billion euros, about 7.7 trillion won).

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.