We can only hope that FIFA paid FOX soccer analyst Stu Holden a lot of money because the backlash he's getting from the post he made yesterday probably isn't worth it.
Taking to X on Monday morning, Holden shared a link about an official "hospitality package" being offered by FIFA for the 2026 World Cup. But a quick look at the prices for the packages quickly shows that they're completely outrageous. All of the available packages cost in the thousands and most are upwards of $10,000 and sometimes $20,000.
"Still need tickets for the FIFA World Cup™? Book an official hospitality package and lock in: Premium seating Dedicated entry Unlimited food + drinks Extended service Get better views & more perks for your money!!" Holden wrote before sharing the link. He added in a follow-up that his post was made in partnership with FIFA Hospitality.
"Tone Deaf"
Holden's post immediately got ratio'd by about 5-to-1 with just about everyone one of the hundreds of comments criticizing him for promoting such a prohibitively expensive package of tickets.
"Tone deaf Stu. No one can afford thousands of dollars for a hospitality suite. But get paid I guess," one user replied.
"We love you Stu but instead of them paying you to advertise for this can you just let them know we’d rather have cheaper tickets? That’s probably the reason why they need to keep advertising - no one wants to sell a kidney for a World Cup seat," wrote another.
"Stu, I am not spending $5000 for a ticket just to see USA get grouped by Turkey," a third remarked.
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"Who the hell has money for that? I just want to attend nose bleed seat and not spend a month of my salary."
"Stu I just wanted to be able to take my kid to a game for less than an arm and a leg. Read the room. A dedicated entry? Isn't that a door? Are we promoting doors now? What are we doing here buddy?"
FIFA has been complaining about struggling to move tickets with just two months to go until the first kickoff. Lowering the prices might be the only way to avoid cameras panning to entire rows that are just plain empty during their biggest event of all-time.
