More FIFA World Cup Drama: Fans Get Free Tickets After Tech Glitch, Football Body Issues 7-Day Ultimatum

A major website error led to several fans being able to book tickets for FIFA World Cup 2026 matches at no cost, FIFA has confirmed. According to a report by Sky News, around 60 supporters were able to secure tickets at “USD 0” after a checkout glitch. However, FIFA has now reportedly demanded that the concerned fans pay the actual price of the tickets within seven days if they want to keep their seats. If the necessary payment isn’t made within the allotted time, the fans will lose their tickets.

The top football governing body issued a statement to clarify the issue, as per the report.

“FIFA can confirm that approximately 60 FIFA World Cup 2026 fans received a communication on Wednesday, 3 June regarding tickets that had been allocated at no charge (0 USD) due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process.”

“The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount,” the statement further read.

The mispriced tickets in question are all reportedly for matches to be held in the city of Toronto in Canada.

This incident follows well-documented concerns over high ticket prices for FIFA World Cup 2026. In April, FIFA’s resale site had four tickets for the World Cup final on sale for just under USD 2.3 million euros (more than Rs 21 crore).

“We have to look at the market – we are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world. So we have to apply market rates,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino had said, in defence of the ticket prices.

Last week, New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport announced they had issued subpoenas to FIFA as part of a probe into its ticketing practices for matches scheduled at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, including the World Cup final on July 19, amidst particular concern regarding pricing and seat allocation.

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