FIFA has moved to cancel roughly 60 World Cup tickets that a small group of fans obtained for free after a website checkout error, and it is now requesting those purchasers to pay the full ticket price.
In a post on X, FIFA said on Wednesday that the affected tickets had been "allocated at no charge (0 USD) due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process." The organisation added that the tickets requested by these fans remain reserved and that the individuals concerned have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount.
FIFA said it regrets the mistake and any inconvenience caused. The notice did not provide additional operational details about the technical fault or whether the error affected other transactions beyond the approximately 60 tickets referenced.
The episode is the latest in a series of ticketing problems surrounding this year's tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico. Earlier this week, the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey disclosed that they had issued a subpoena to FIFA concerning its ticketing practices amid concerns about fans' seat locations at World Cup matches.
The 48-team tournament is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 19. FIFA's statement indicated that while the tickets in question had initially been allocated at zero cost because of the payment issue, the organisation intends for those seats to be paid for at the correct price, with the reservations held until payment is completed.
Beyond the immediate procedural fix for the small number of tickets involved, the incident comes amid heightened scrutiny of FIFA's ticketing administration. The subpoenas from state law enforcement authorities underscore ongoing questions about how seats are allocated and how ticketing problems are being addressed ahead of the event.
At present, FIFA's public communications limit the available information to the notification on X and the acknowledgement of regret. The organisation's invitation for affected fans to complete payment suggests FIFA views the situation as correctable for those individuals, while the subpoena process may address broader systemic or procedural concerns raised by officials.