FIFA has cancelled World Cup tickets issued to around 60 fans after a website error allowed them to secure seats without paying, the governing body confirmed on Thursday.
The tickets had been “allocated at no charge (0 USD) due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process,” FIFA said in a statement, adding that the affected supporters have been asked to complete payment if they wish to keep their reservations.
“FIFA regrets the error and any inconvenience caused,” the organisation said. “The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount.”
The tickets were sold through FIFA’s official World Cup website on May 21. The incident occurred more than three months after FIFA president Gianni Infantino had declared that all 104 matches of the expanded 2026 World Cup were sold out.
The latest glitch has added to concerns surrounding FIFA’s ticketing programme, which is already under investigation by the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey for possible violations of consumer protection laws.
Despite earlier claims that every match had sold out, tickets continue to be available through FIFA’s official sales channels ahead of the tournament, which opens next Thursday in Mexico City. It remains unclear whether prices for less sought-after matches will fall under FIFA’s dynamic pricing model, which has faced criticism from supporters.
FIFA is also operating its own resale platform and charging a 15 percent commission to both buyers and sellers in an attempt to limit the role of ticket brokers. However, secondary marketplaces such as SeatGeek were still showing widespread availability for several matches on Friday.
Ticket prices for the 2026 World Cup have become a major talking point, with costs significantly higher than previous editions of the tournament. FIFA has defended the pricing structure, arguing that the revenue generated will help fund football development programmes across its member associations.
The governing body has taken direct control of ticket pricing and sales as part of its decision to bring World Cup operations in-house. Previous tournaments relied on local organising committees to manage much of the ticketing process.
When the football federations of the United States, Canada and Mexico won the right to host the tournament in 2018, they promised to make hundreds of thousands of group-stage tickets available for as little as $21. The current pricing structure, however, is far removed from those projections and has become one of the most debated aspects of the 2026 World Cup.
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