FIFA appears to have technical difficulties with World Cup ticket sales

Key Points:

• FIFA resumed ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup after finalizing the 48-team lineup but faced technical issues, including misdirected links and long queue times for buyers.
• Not all remaining tickets were released at once; FIFA plans to sell additional tickets on a rolling basis, with this phase allowing purchasers to select specific seat locations for the first time.
• The tournament will use dynamic pricing, with tickets ranging from $140 to $8,680, though $60 tickets are allocated for loyal supporters through national federations, a move criticized by some U.S. lawmakers for making the event less accessible.
• FIFA operates its own resale platform, charging a 15% fee to both buyers and sellers, a practice defended by FIFA but criticized by fan groups and subject to legal scrutiny in some countries.
• The final World Cup field includes teams like Bosnia-Herzegovina, Congo, and Sweden, while fans of eliminated teams may resell tickets; FIFA reported unprecedented demand, equating ticket requests to "1,000 years of World Cups at once."