Fifa owes fans thousands for resold World Cup tickets

According to BBC Sport, World Cup 2026 ticket holders are owed thousands of pounds by Fifa for resold tickets on the tournament’s official marketplace.

According to Fifa’s guidelines, payments must be made within 60 calendar days of a transaction, but some sellers of tickets on the website in early October still haven’t received their money.

Fifa, which has received criticism for the price of its World Cup tickets, declined to provide an explanation for the delays.

According to BBC Sport, the issues are related to Fifa needing to obtain additional bank information from the affected parties before payments can be processed.

One million tickets were made available during the pre-sale draw that lasted for ten days in September, which included the tickets in question.

Only Visa cardholders had the ability to apply. How many fans in total have been impacted by the problem, according to the release.

Iain, an England supporter, is owed nearly £650 for a ticket he sold 65 days ago for Canada’s opening game in Toronto. The money, which he had intended to use for England seats now that the fixtures have been confirmed, will now be refunded.

He claimed that although FIFA are making billions from the World Cup, they are unable to complete basic payment processing on time.

A Mexico fan who declined to be identified presented documentation that claimed he owed more than £8,000 for sales that occurred over the course of sixty days.

They just seem to be fumbling around, he said, “it’s horrible.”

To pay off my credit card, I had to relocate money.

Despite earlier claims that refunds would be made automatically to their original payment card, some of the affected people reported to BBC Sport after receiving an email from Fifa last month requesting bank details.

The resale market for Fifa’s games opened on October 2 and allows the majority of ticket buyers to list their tournament tickets at a price they choose.

Both the buyer and the seller are charged a 15% fee by the governing body.

Some fans who purchased seats in the earlier sales phase, before the World Cup draw was held, have already resold tickets on the platform.

Unofficial resale websites are also listing a lot of tickets at the same time.

Fifa has cautioned against using third-party platforms, stating that its own marketplace “is designed to protect from invalid or unauthorised resale.”

Fifa announced earlier this week that all 104 of its matches would be sold for “more affordable” $60 (£45) tickets.