FIFA World Cup ticket sale hit by glitches as dynamic pricing fuels backlash

FIFA’s “last-minute sales phase” for the 2026 Men’s World Cup was disrupted on April 1 by technical issues that left fans stuck in long virtual queues and, in some cases, routed into the wrong sales pathway as the governing body restarted ticket sales once the 48-team field was finalised.Supporters reported waiting more than 90 minutes after sales opened at 11am ET, with confusion compounded by an apparent misdirection that sent users clicking the “last-minute sales phase” into a “PMA late qualifier supporters sales phase” intended for fans of teams that had only just booked qualification.FIFA said around midday that the ticketing system was working properly, but did not immediately specify which matches or price categories were available, prompting buyers to check games individually.The April release is the fifth sales phase for the expanded 48-team tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Mexico and Canada and features 104 matches. FIFA has positioned the last-minute phase as the first opportunity for fans to select specific seat locations, rather than requesting a ticket within a category and waiting for allocation.The restart also landed amid growing scrutiny of FIFA’s pricing strategy. The organisation is using dynamic pricing, meaning ticket costs can rise and fall based on demand, and top-end prices for the final have climbed again, with the most expensive tickets now listed at US$10,990.Political and fan criticism has focused on the risk that the tournament becomes unaffordable for ordinary supporters. In a letter sent last month, 69 Democratic members of Congress wrote: “The employment of dynamic ticket pricing for the 2026 FWC starkly contrasts with Fifa’s core mission to promote the accessible and inclusive promotion and development of soccer globally.”They added: “Despite host cities’ cooperation in bringing the vision of the largest, most global World Cup in history to fruition, the consequences of dynamic pricing will make the 2026 FWC the most financially exclusionary and inaccessible to date.”FIFA has also faced pushback over its resale model. The governing body runs its own official resale platform, taking 15% from both the buyer and the seller. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the policy as legal commercial activity in the US, while acknowledging the scale of demand for the tournament. Infantino said in January: “This is unique. It’s incredible.”FIFA has said not all remaining tickets for all matches will be released at once, with additional inventory expected to appear on a rolling basis through the tournament. The organisation has also previously indicated that US$60 tickets would be made available to participating national associations for allocation to their most loyal supporters, following criticism of price levels during earlier phases.The combination of opaque availability, technical disruption and rising top-end prices is increasing reputational risk for FIFA and host markets already preparing for what the governing body expects to be record demand and attendance.