MetLife Stadium — which has been temporarily branded as New York New Jersey Stadium — will host the 2026 World Cup final July 19 in East Rutherford, N.J. File Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
FIFA canceled free 2026 World Cup tickets, which were obtained by about 60 fans in a website error, the international soccer governing body announced.
The tickets were made available May 21 through the official World Cup ticket marketplace. FIFA said the same tickets will be reserved for the same fans to purchase them at the correct price.
“FIFA can confirm that approximately 60 FIFA World Cup 2026 fans received a communication on Wednesday … regarding tickets that had been allocated at no charge due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process,” FIFA said Thursday.
“The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount. FIFA regrets the error and any inconvenience caused.”
The 2026 World Cup will be held from Thursday through July 19 in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Fans and government officials throughout the United States continue to criticize FIFA because of the high ticket prices for World Cup games. Last week, the attorney general from New York and attorney general from New Jersey subpoenaed FIFA as part of an investigation into ticketing prices for the World Cup.
A bid proposal from the 2026 World Cup host countries, published in 2018, included ticket pricing as low as $21 as part of a “ticket pricing summary” for the tournament.
After widespread criticism from fans reacting to much higher prices, FIFA announced in December that a limited amount of $60 tickets would be made available.
In February, FIFA president Gianni Infantino told reporters that all 104 World Cup matches were “sold out.” A week later, FIFA announced additional purchase opportunities for select fans.
As of Friday morning, the least expensive non-wheelchair/easy access tickets for group-stage games on FIFA’s official World Cup ticket marketplace ranged from about $400 to more than $2,000.
Several group stage games had tickets available for less than $200 on the secondary market. The least expensive ticket for the finale was more than $7,000.
Last month, Infantino defended the high ticket prices, citing resale markets and “the most developed” entertainment market in the world hosting the tournament.
“We have 25% of the group stage match tickets which can be bought for less than $300,” Infantino said at a conference in Beverly Hills, Calif. “You cannot go to watch, in the U.S., a college game, not even speaking about a top professional game, of a certain level, for less than $300. And this is the World Cup.”
Tickets for the final are not listed in FIFA’s World Cup ticket marketplace. The most expensive group stage games are Portugal-Colombia, Mexico-South Africa, Mexico-Korea Republic, Scotland-Brazil, Mexico-Czechia, Brazil-Morocco and the United States-Australia, among others.
FIFA also operates its own ticket resale platform.
Mexico will host South Africa in the first game of the tournament at 3 p.m. EDT Thursday in Mexico City.
MetLife Stadium prepares for FIFA World Cup
FIFA World Cup signs hang in the interior of MetLife Stadium before it is set to host eight matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup in East Rutherford, N.J,. on May 28, 2026. Photo by John Angelillo/UPI | License Photo
