FIFA’s kicking soccer fans in the wallet again.
The organization is charging as much as $300 for Los Angeles’ World Cup matches — even though the spots could be more than a mile away from the stadium.
FIFA’s official World Cup parking website lists prices in the hundreds based on the demand of the matches, with the eye-watering cost of parking eclipsing the price tag of tickets themselves.
A spokesperson tried to defend the astronomical cash-grab.
“Parking prices are determined based on local market conditions and benchmarking against comparable major events previously held in each host city,” the spokesperson told The Athletic.
LA is set to host eight matches in the World Cup, including two involving the US national team and a quarterfinal — games expected to draw major crowds. Parking for those high-demand matches is priced at $300, while the remaining LA games are listed at $250.
Lower-tier match tickets for the cup are expected to fetch less than $200.
If a fan wanted to attend a Category 3 match — a lower-priced seating tier typically located in the upper level — they would pay under $200 for the ticket, but $250 just to park, according to The Athletic.
The parking locations appear to include garages near the Intuit Dome — the Clippers’ new arena — with FIFA estimating a roughly 20-minute walk to SoFi Stadium, depending on security checkpoints and access routes, The Athletic reported.
For context, parking at the same garage typically costs under $60 for NBA games and under $100 for other major events.
Fans tired of being treated like piggy banks blamed Los Angeles’ public transportation system and the city’s drive-first culture for getting taken to the cleaners.
“The metro area is absolutely massive and yes there are rail lines and buses, but it’s rare that your starting and end point are on a line and it will most likely include at least one or two bus transfers at each end of the journey,” one frustrated fan fumed on Reddit.
“LA is a largely a giant disorganised suburban sprawl. The public transport sucks and the traffic is godawful,” another added.
While some were appalled by the prices, others said they were not surprised.
“I paid $100 to park at the LA Forum in 2021 for a regular season Browns/Chargers game,” one critic said.
