A “checkout error” has led to 60-odd spectators getting FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets for free, and the global governing body is now demanding that the fans pay up. The supporters in question secured seats for zero US dollars owing to a glitch in the website. “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,” a statement posted on the official FIFA Media X handle noted. The statement added that while the tickets requested by these fans “remain reserved”, they have been “invited to complete payment of the correct amount”. FIFA regretted the error “and any inconvenience caused”. “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… — FIFA Media (@fifamedia) June 4, 2026 https://platform.x.com/widgets.js According to a purported email from FIFA shared by X handle ‘Ticket Talk Network’, fans have seven days to pay in full or forfeit their reservations. The affected matches were all group-stage games in Toronto, Canada, the handle posted. The episode comes in the backdrop of unprecedentedly high ticket prices for World Cup games. FIFA raised its top ticket price for the final to USD 10,990, months after setting it at USD 8,680 following the tournament draw in December. For context, prices were set between USD 70 and USD 1,600 in the 2022 World Cup. The governing body president Gianni Infantino has repeatedly defended the high 2026 ticket prices, however, and dismissed reports of seats for the final being resold at over USD 2 million. “We have to look at the market,” Infantino said. “We are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates. “In the U.S., it is permitted to resell tickets as well, so if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price. And as a matter of fact, even though some people are saying that the ticket prices we have are high, they still end up on the resale market at an even higher price, more than double our price.”Story continues below this ad The FIFA chief added, “If some people put on the resale market some tickets for the final at $2 million, No. 1, it doesn’t mean that the tickets cost $2 million, and No. 2, it doesn’t mean that somebody will buy these tickets. And if somebody buys a ticket for the final for $2 million, I will personally bring a hot dog and a Coke to make sure that he has a great experience.” The quadrennial showpiece will be held between June 11 and July 19, and will be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. This marks the first time that the prestigious event will be held across three countries. It also introduces a new 48-team format, delivering a record 104 matches spread across 16 host cities in North America.
Glitch gives fans free World Cup 2026 tickets; FIFA wants money back
