Football’s global governing body FIFA has cancelled a number of World Cup tickets that were mistakenly issued at incorrect prices and has asked fans who bought these tickets to repurchase them at full cost.
FIFA confirmed that around 60 fans received notifications on Wednesday, June 3, after tickets had been allocated free of charge due to a payment issue during the checkout process.
The organization said it regretted the inconvenience caused to supporters.
According to Ticket Talk Network, a social media account that tracks ticketing issues, affected fans were informed they have seven days to complete payment for the tickets or risk having them removed from their accounts. The impacted tickets were reportedly linked to group-stage matches scheduled to take place in Toronto.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, the United States and Mexico, is set to kick off on Thursday, June 11.
The latest incident adds to growing concerns over FIFA’s ticketing system, with seats reportedly still available less than a week before the tournament despite promises of sell-out crowds, the BBC reports.
Last week, the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey launched an investigation into FIFA’s ticket sales practices following allegations of artificially inflated pricing and misleading fans.
FIFA has adopted a “variable pricing” model for ticket sales, allowing prices to fluctuate depending on demand and availability throughout different sales phases. The governing body had also announced in April that additional tickets could continue to be released up until kick-off.
