FIFA regrets free World Cup tickets, demands 60 fans pay up

FIFA has admitted to a ticketing error that saw approximately 60 fans receive tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at no cost and has given them seven days to pay the correct amount or lose their reservations.

In a post on X on June 5, the world football governing body said the tickets were allocated at 0 USD due to a payment issue during the checkout process.

"FIFA can confirm that approximately 60 FIFA World Cup 2026 fans received a communication on Wednesday, June 3, regarding tickets that had been allocated at no charge," FIFA said.

The organisation initially informed affected customers that their ticket orders had been cancelled after a review identified pricing inaccuracies affecting a small number of tickets sold on May 21, 2026.

In a communication sent to fans, FIFA said it had "identified and resolved an issue with ticket pricing" that caused some tickets to be displayed with incorrect prices at checkout and in completed transaction records.

"You have been identified as a customer who purchased a ticket affected by this pricing inaccuracy. In accordance with the Terms of Sale for the General Public, all ticket orders that included tickets with inaccurate prices have been canceled," the notice stated.

FIFA said affected fans would receive a full refund for any payments made under the affected orders. However, the same tickets have been reserved and can be repurchased at the correct price.

"To ensure you do not miss the opportunity to attend the FIFA World Cup, we have reserved the same ticket(s) for you to purchase at the correct price. This ticket(s) will be available for purchase through your FIFA ticketing account for seven days from the date of this message," FIFA told fans.

The governing body warned that tickets not repurchased within the seven-day period would be removed from customers' accounts.

Despite the cancellations, FIFA clarified that the tickets requested by the affected fans remain reserved pending payment.

"The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount," FIFA said, adding: "FIFA regrets the error and any inconvenience caused."

The issue affected a small fraction of the millions of tickets expected to be sold for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted by United States, Canada and Mexico.