FIFA has revoked World Cup tickets that were mistakenly provided to around 60 fans at no cost due to a glitch on its website. Now, the soccer governing body is requiring these fans to pay the full ticket price.
The tickets were issued “at no charge [0 USD] due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process,” FIFA stated in a release on Thursday.
“FIFA regrets the error and any inconvenience caused,” the organization added. “The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount.”
This incident marks the latest complication in a frequently criticized World Cup ticketing system, which is currently under investigation by the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey for potential breaches of consumer protection laws.
According to FIFA, the mispriced tickets were sold through the official World Cup website on May 21, which was over three months after FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that all 104 World Cup matches had sold out.
Tickets are still available for purchase on FIFA’s website for upcoming matches, as the World Cup is set to commence next Thursday in Mexico City. It remains uncertain whether the prices for games that are less popular will be reduced under FIFA’s surge pricing model, which has stirred controversy among fans.
Additionally, FIFA is managing its own resale platform, charging a 15% commission from both buyers and sellers to eliminate ticket scalpers from the market. However, other sales platforms like Seat Geek were showing substantial availability for many matches on Friday.
The pricing for the 2026 World Cup has skyrocketed compared to previous editions, a move FIFA defends as a means to generate billions of dollars that will be allocated to member federations for the global development of the sport.
FIFA has taken charge of ticket pricing and sales, moving away from the traditional model that involved collaboration with local organizing committees of host nations. When the United States, Canada, and Mexico secured hosting rights in 2018, they committed to selling hundreds of thousands of tickets at $21 each for group-stage encounters.
