Fifa has cancelled World Cup tickets mistakenly issued to about 60 fans for free due to a website error, and is now asking them to pay the full price. The tickets were allocated at no charge because of a prior payment issue during checkout, Fifa said in a statement on Thursday.
The governing body expressed regret for the error and any inconvenience caused, adding that the tickets remain reserved for the affected fans, who have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount. The mispriced tickets were sold through the official World Cup site on 21 May, more than three months after Fifa president Gianni Infantino declared all 104 games sold out.
This is the latest glitch in a controversial ticketing programme that is under investigation by the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey for possible consumer protection law violations. Tickets for the 2026 World Cup are significantly more expensive than previous editions, which Fifa justifies as necessary to generate billions of dollars for global development of the sport.
Fifa has taken control of pricing and sales, moving away from the previous model of working with host nations' local committees. When the US, Canada, and Mexico won hosting rights in 2018, they promised hundreds of thousands of tickets at $21 each for group-stage games. Fifa also operates its own resale platform, taking a 15% commission from both buyers and sellers, but third-party sites like Seat Geek still offer widespread availability for many games.
