FIFA Drops Thousands More World Cup Tickets Amid Scrutiny

FIFA has released thousands more tickets for the 2026 World Cup following accusations that it has been selectively distributing these across resale sites to influence demand and pricing.

According to TicketData.com, availability on FIFA's official portal jumped from about 20,500 seats on Wednesday to roughly 37,000, before easing to around 33,000 on Thursday morning. This still marks a significant decrease from over 100,000 toward the end of May, a figure which fell close to current levels after thousands disappeared without explanation.

FIFA is under growing scrutiny over how it manages ticket supply for the 2026 World Cup, with fluctuating availability and shifting resale listings raising questions about whether the Switzerland-based organization is actively steering inventory to influence prices and manage financial risk as demand patterns fluctuate.

When approached by Newsweek, both SeatGeek and StubHub denied any involvement in this alleged strategy, though the latter confirmed that blocks of seats had dropped on resale platforms in recent days.

FIFA has not commented on the latest bump in inventory or the sudden drop in late May. Newsweek has contacted the organization via email for comment.

Why Is FIFA Under Fire?

FIFA's ticket rollout has already faced criticism for high prices, driven by its use of “dynamic pricing,” which adjusts fares based on demand.

An analysis by The Athletic found prices across key ticket categories rose 34 percent between October and April, with some more than doubling.

While resale prices have often exceeded FIFA's official rates, they have recently softened amid signs of weaker-than-expected demand for some fixtures.

And, following the sudden disappearance of over 40,000 tickets from this main platform in late May, some have observed an uptick in the number available on the resale marketplace.

Boston University economist Florian Ederer highlighted unusual clusters of newly available seats on SeatGeek, including large blocks for the Saudi Arabia vs Cabo Verde fixture on June 26.

Ederer said the pattern of available tickets-"large, contiguous blocks of seats”-does not resemble typical fan or commercial scalper resale patterns, but rather suggests that inventory had been “dumped in bulk onto secondary markets, at prices below FIFA’s official site.”

Ederer argued this would allow the organization to reduce resale seat costs to clear unsold inventory while keeping “official prices high.” He added that FIFA had a financial incentive to use this approach rather than lowering its own prices.

“Official price cuts could trigger refund demands, chargebacks, or consumer-protection headaches from fans who already bought at much higher prices,” he wrote.

Newsweek compared prices for the same sections on SeatGeek and FIFA's official terminal for this game, finding that prices are significantly lower on the resale platform.

As of Thursday morning, one in section 610 would cost fans $380 on the latter but only $184 on the former.

Resale prices for the Saudi Arabia vs Cabo Verde match have also dropped by around 13 percent over the past three days, according to TicketData.com, and by 18 percent over the past week.

The website shows that resale prices for most games, however, have risen over the same period.

Investigations Launched Into Ticket Sales

FIFA has not confirmed whether it is directing tickets into secondary markets, but its ticketing practices are now under formal scrutiny in the United States by officials in host states.

In late May, New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport subpoenaed FIFA as part of a joint investigation into its World Cup ticketing system.

“Recent press reports indicate that fans may have been misled about the locations of the seats they were purchasing, and FIFA's public statements and ticket releases may have contributed to soaring prices,” an announcement from the New York attorney general's office read.

Davenport accused FIFA of turning the ticket-purchasing process into “gauntlet of confusion, fake scarcity and impossibly high prices.”

Samuel A.A. Levine, the commissioner of New York City's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP), said that, in doing so, FIFA may have violated U.S. consumer protection laws.

How Many Tickets Are Still Available?

TicketData.com says that around 33,200 tickets are available through FIFA's official portal following the latest “minor inventory release.” The website does not release estimates of the number of tickets that are available across resale platforms.

FIFA has been releasing additional inventory in staged drops, with the most recent wave arriving in late May.

The organization says it will continue releasing tickets in phases leading up to and during the tournament.

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This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 4:14 AM.