Attorneys general in four states are investigating the matter FIFATicketing practices around the World Cup.
California, New Jersey, New York and Texas have announced investigations over the past month or so.
Law firm Frankfurt Cornet Klein & Sells Investigations explained in condition It was published on Thursday (June 18) on the Mondaq website.
California Attorney General Rob Bonta He said on May 13 press release He sent a letter To FIFA for information and that it will use this information to evaluate whether the organization has violated the laws of the country.
Bonta said the move was due to reports that FIFA sold tickets based on seat categories shown on the stadium map and later changed those categories before allocating seats to buyers.
“California residents should be able to trust that the seats they purchase match the offers made during the sale,” Bonta said in the statement. He added: “We look forward to receiving the required information from FIFA as part of our ongoing review.”
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New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport The Attorney General of New York Letitia James They announced on May 27 that they had sent subpoenas to FIFA seeking information about ticketing practices.
They said they were investigating reports that the organization may have misled fans about the whereabouts of seats they were purchasing, did not deliver tickets to fans in the category they had paid for, and raised the prices of tickets sold through “variable pricing” via a ticketing schedule, public statements, or other conduct.
Davenport said on May 27 press release “FIFA has turned buying a World Cup ticket into a challenge of confusion, illusory scarcity and impossibly high prices.”
James said on May 27 press release: “No one should be manipulated into paying exorbitant prices for seats, and fans should be able to trust that the tickets they buy will be the ones they get.”
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton He said on June 9 press release that it had received numerous consumer complaints from consumers who may have been misled about the locations of the seats they were purchasing and that it had launched an investigation into FIFA’s practices.
“I will work to ensure that FIFA engages in ethical and fair business practices so that Texans fans are treated fairly,” Paxton said in the statement.
FIFA did not immediately respond to PYMNTS’ request for comment.
It was reported in September that FIFA had confirmed that tickets for the 2026 World Cup would be sold under a law Dynamic pricing systemthe first for this event.
PYMNTS reported in March that FIFA said the event was expected to welcome about 6.5 million fans Stadiums And a much larger audience after that.
