CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) 鈥� FIFA has canceled tickets issued to about 60 fans who mistakenly got them for free because of a website error.
The tickets were 鈥渁llocated at no charge (0 USD) due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process,鈥� .
鈥淔IFA regrets the error and any inconvenience caused,鈥� soccer’s ruling body said. 鈥淭he tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount.鈥�
It is the latest glitch in an often controversial World Cup ticketing program that the attorneys general of for possible violations of consumer protection laws.
The mispriced tickets were sold through the official World Cup site on May 21, FIFA said in an email message to buyers.
That date was more than three months after FIFA President all 104 World Cup games had sold out.
for games at the World Cup, which opens next Thursday in Mexico City. It is unclear if seats for games in less demand will drop in price under FIFA鈥檚 surge pricing model that has been controversial for fans.
FIFA also is operating its own resale platform 鈥� and taking 15% commission from both buyers and sellers 鈥� in order to cut out ticket dealers from the market. However, sales platforms such as were offering widespread availability Friday for many games.
Tickets for the 2026 World Cup are than any previous edition, which FIFA has justified as helping earn billions of dollars it will give to member federations for developing the game globally.
FIFA took control of pricing and selling tickets as part of bringing World Cup operations in-house. The long-time model at previous editions was working with host nations鈥� local organizing committees.
When the soccer federations of the United States, Canada and Mexico won hosting rights in 2018, they promised to sell hundreds of thousands of tickets at $21 each for group-stage games.
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