SPORTS WRITING (EFE). – Consumer organizations Euroconsumers and the fan collective Football Supporters Europe (FSE) filed a complaint against FIFA with the European Commission for alleged abuse of its monopoly position in the sale of tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
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The reporting entities claim that the governing body of world football has imposed excessive prices, as well as purchasing conditions that they describe as opaque and unfair for fans, pointing out at least six abusive practices in the ticket sales process. Among the main complaints are high prices, misleading advertising, variable fees without transparency, pressure techniques to speed up the purchase, and double profit from commissions in the official resale of tickets. According to the report presented, the most economical tickets for the 2026 World Cup final start from $4,185, a figure considerably higher than the cost of the cheapest tickets for the 2022 World Cup final. They also reported that the tickets promoted from $60 were practically sold out at the time they went on sale. Organizations also criticized the dynamic pricing system, noting that some tickets increased by up to 25% between different sales phases, in addition to the lack of information about the exact location of the seats at the time of purchase and limitations on refunds. In the complaint, they requested the European Commission to order FIFA to suspend the use of dynamic pricing for fans from the European Economic Area, freeze prices in the next sales phase, and publish in advance the number of tickets available and their location in the stadiums. Euroconsumers groups consumer organizations from various countries and represents millions of users, so the entities expect European authorities to act to ensure fair prices, transparency in the sales process, and greater protection for fans wishing to attend the 2026 World Cup.
