It seemed highly unlikely that more than 70,000 fans would pack Los Angeles' Sofia Stadium on a Monday night for a match between New Zealand and Iran.

But that's exactly what happened on June 15. Even more astonishingly, ticket prices jumped 23% in the three days leading up to the game, pushing the minimum price on resale platforms to $420.

All this for a match between a nation engaged in a military conflict with the United States and another with a population of just five million on the other side of the planet. Neither team had ever progressed beyond the group stage of the World Cup, yet they played out a thrilling 2-2 draw.

This price surge was a direct result of the collective fever that ignited with the world's biggest sporting event. Once the ball started rolling, many of the pre-tournament anxieties—from the heat and transportation problems to the inevitable pessimism of some commentators—subsided into the background.

Just a week later, fans were obsessed with the tournament, stadiums were packed, television viewership was breaking records, and ticket prices on the resale market were skyrocketing as the excitement intensified.

Nowhere is this more evident than with the US national team. After months of struggling to sell tickets, prices skyrocketed following the Americans' impressive victory in their opening match against Paraguay.

How did this fan frenzy drive up World Cup ticket prices? Although it's difficult to admit, this is a major exoneration for FIFA and its widely criticized dynamic pricing system. It helps football's governing body achieve record revenues in its quest to reach $13 billion over the four-year cycle that culminates in this tournament.

The system may not be fair or transparent, and it represents a clear attempt to profit at the expense of the popular spirit that has made football the most beautiful and equal sport in the world. But it proves exceptionally effective at maximizing profits from the World Cup, FIFA's biggest money-making machine.

FIFA, a non-profit organization in name only, bleeds fans, host cities, and partners dry. What a surprise.

And if anyone still doubts that football is not a moral beacon but a massive commercial enterprise at its core—a business of passion itself—they need only look at this gigantic edition of the World Cup: 48 teams, 16 host cities, and three countries. Everything is bigger, newer, and more profitable. When demand continues to outstrip supply by such a wide margin, dynamic pricing inevitably leads to astronomical ticket prices.

This is why FIFA needed to hold the World Cup in the United States, the world's largest entertainment market, with Mexico and Canada playing supporting roles.

Putting more than six million tickets on sale might seem like a huge number, but it isn't when you consider that roughly 35% of global private wealth is concentrated in the United States, which also has the largest immigrant population and communities from almost every country in the world.