FIFA cancels World Cup tickets for 60 fans amid consumer protection scrutiny
The incident adds to regulatory pressure on the 2026 tournament’s ticketing programme, which is under investigation by US state attorneys general.
FIFA has cancelled approximately 60 World Cup tickets issued to fans who received them for free due to a website checkout error. The tickets were allocated at no charge on 21 May through the official World Cup site, resulting from a prior payment issue during the transaction process.
In a statement issued on Thursday, the football governing body expressed regret for the error and any inconvenience caused. FIFA confirmed that the tickets requested by these fans remain reserved and that affected individuals have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount.
The glitch occurs more than three months after FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that all 104 World Cup games had sold out. Despite this declaration, tickets are still being sold for the tournament, which opens next Thursday in Mexico City. It remains unclear if seats for games with lower demand will drop in price under FIFA’s surge pricing model, a mechanism that has drawn criticism from fans.
This incident adds to the scrutiny facing the 2026 World Cup ticketing programme, which is currently under investigation by the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey. Authorities are examining the programme for possible violations of consumer protection laws, focusing on the accuracy of seat allocations and the use of dynamic pricing structures.
FIFA has taken control of pricing and selling tickets in-house, moving away from the previous model of working with host nations’ local organising committees. The organisation is operating its own resale platform, taking a 15 percent commission from both buyers and sellers to reduce the influence of third-party dealers. However, platforms such as SeatGeek were offering widespread availability for many games on Friday.
When the United States, Canada, and Mexico won hosting rights in 2018, they promised to sell hundreds of thousands of tickets at $21 each for group-stage games. In contrast, FIFA is justifying higher ticket prices as a method to earn billions of dollars for member federations to develop the game globally. Official front-row tickets for the final in previous editions were sold for $32,970.
