Fifa tripled the price of its best available tickets to the World Cup final, making $32,970 seats available on Thursday for the 19 July match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The governing body listed those seats as Front Category 1 on its sales site.

It previously had a high price of $10,990 for Category 1. The $10,990 category for the final was available Thursday night only as Wheelchair and Easy Access Amenity Category 1. The most expensive ticket for the 2022 World Cup final was about $1,600.

Tickets for the 14 July semi-final at AT&T Stadium in Dallas were listed at $11,130, $4,330, $3,710 and $2,705. Seats for the following day’s semi-final at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium were at $10,635, $3,545 and $2,725.

Seats for the US opener against Paraguay on 12 June at SoFi Stadium near Los Angeles were available for $2,735, $1,940 and $1,120, while tickets for the Americans’ 19 June game against Australia at Seattle were listed at $2,715. Tickets for the Americans’ group-stage finale against Turkey in LA on 25 June were $2,970, $1,345, $990 and $840.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino has defended the ticket prices.

“We have to look at the market. We are in a market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates,” he said Tuesday at the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills. “In the US it is permitted to resell tickets, as well, so if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price. And as a matter of fact, even though some people are saying that the ticket prices we have are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double of our price.”

He added, “You cannot go to watch in the US a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game of a certain level, for less than $300.”

Though college football postseason games and Super Bowls can command high prices, tickets for US sporting events – including the ongoing NBA playoffs – are often available for less than $300.

On the Fifa Resale/Exchange Marketplace, tickets for the final were available Thursday ranging from $8,970 to $11,499,998.85. The high price was listed for a ticket four rows from the top of the upper deck,.

Fifa does not control the asking prices on its Resale/Exchange Marketplace but takes a 15% purchase fee from the buyer of each ticket and a 15% resale fee from the seller.

Last month, someone listed tickets for the final at $2,299,998.85.

“If some people put on the secondary, on the resale market some tickets for the final at $2m, No 1, it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2m, and No 2, it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets,” Infantino said. “Actually if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2m, I will personally bring a hotdog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.”

Frank Pallone and Nellie Pou, both New Jersey Democratic representatives in Congress, sent a letter to Infantino on Thursday asking for details by 22 May on Fifa’s dynamic pricing; the number of unsold tickets currently available in what Fifa calls its “Last-Minute Sales Phase”; when additional tickets will be released; whether new categories will be added; and the justification for fees on its Resale/Exchange Marketplace.

“For many fans hoping to attend matches this summer, the ticket sales process has become a major point of frustration,” they wrote. “We are deeply concerned by reports that Fifa is employing opaque pricing, shifting rules and potentially deceptive practices.”

They accused Fifa of misleading seat maps.

“Fifa also appears to be restricting ticket supply to shape demand,” they added. “Tickets are reportedly being held back for matches, creating the appearance of limited availability even when large numbers remain unsold. This pressures fans to purchase quickly while allowing Fifa to control pricing through staggered releases.”

Fifa’s media office did not immediately respond to an email from the Associated Press seeking comment on the letter.