A matter of months before the start of this summer’s World Cup in the USA, Mexico and Canada, FIFA Have been reported to the European Commission over their ticketing system
FIFA have responded regarding the accusation(Image: Marcio Machado – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
A European football supporters group have demanded the European Commission to “intervene immediately” with FIFA’s “absolute monopoly over World Cup ticketing.” Football’s governing body has been repeatedly chastised for the price of the tickets at this year’s competition.
Now the Euroconsumers and Football Supporters Europe (FSE) have filed a complaint to the Commission, accusing FIFA of breaching Article 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, which aims to prevent companies from abusing their dominant marketing positions.
The complaint mainly pertains to FIFA’s use of ‘dynamic pricing’ which sees the prices of tickets surge when interest is high, while also seeing them decrease when there is less interest. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has defended the prices of tickets and the way they have been set on many occasions.
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The FSE have not been reassured by his comments and have taken it upon themselves to send a complaint to the Commission. Head of litigation at Euroconsumers, Marco Scialdone, said: “Football is a universal passion, but FIFA is treating it like a private luxury by exploiting its absolute monopoly over World Cup ticketing.
“By imposing opaque pricing, dark patterns to pressure buyers and exorbitant resale fees, FIFA is placing an unfair financial burden on millions of European fans.
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“We are calling on the European Commission to intervene immediately with interim measures to halt these exploitative practices before the 2026 tournament begins.”
In response, a FIFA spokesperson told Mirror Sport: “FIFA has been made aware of statements concerning an apparent complaint, which FIFA has not formally received. FIFA is therefore not in a position to comment further at this stage.
“FIFA is focused on ensuring fair access to our game for existing and prospective fans. As a not-for-profit organisation, the revenue FIFA generates from the World Cup is reinvested to fuel the growth of the game – men, women, youth – throughout FIFA’s 211 member associations globally.“
At the end of last year, FIFA announced they were introducing $60 (£44.90) tickets, which made up 10% of the allocation of tickets sent to each qualifying team. Once the tickets have been allocated, it’s the job of national associations to manage distribution, which often sees regular match-goers or members be prioritised.
However, other tickets have been more than 100 times the price, with the cheapest openly available ticket for the World Cup final allegedly starting at $4,185 (£3,120), according to Euroconsumers and FSE.
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Moreover, FIFA has also been accused of “bait advertising,” which sees supporters be lured into the prospect of a $60 ticket, only to then be greeted with tickets at much higher prices.
FIFA has also been accused of not putting safeguards or caps on the prices of tickets under the control of dynamic pricing, pressure selling tactics, and charging a 15% fee on its resale platform.
FSE executive director Ronan Evain recently said: “For several months now we have urged FIFA to do right by fans and reconsider its aggressive and exploitative ticketing policies.
“FIFA’s failure to engage in meaningful consultation with stakeholders yet again has left us with no option but to join forces with Euroconsumers in filing this complaint with the European Commission. FIFA point to their unconfirmed sales figures as validation of their unfair ticket practices, while the reality is they leave loyal fans with no other choice – pay up or lose out.”
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