California seeks FIFA answers over 2026 World Cup ticket practices
· Yahoo Sports
California Attorney General Rob Bonta has asked FIFA to provide information about reports of potentially misleading ticketing practices linked to the 2026 World Cup.
"We're sending a letter to FIFA requesting information to assess possible violations of California law," Bonta said in a post on X on Wednesday. According to media reports, some tickets were sold based on seating categories shown on stadium maps that were later changed before specific seats were assigned.
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Some fans subsequently received seats in lower categories than they had expected.
"Some consumers have reported feeling deceived because the seats they were ultimately assigned belonged to a lower-tiered category based on the seating map available to them at the time of purchase," Bonta wrote in the letter, which was also published on his office's website.
Bonta called for "transparency and fairness when purchasing tickets for any event held in our state."
FIFA said in April, after a report by The New York Times, that the seating category maps shown during ticket sales were intended only as a guide to where seats could be located inside stadiums.
Bonta's office said California law provides strong protections for consumers and prohibits marketing practices likely to mislead buyers.
The attorney general is seeking details on ticket sales for World Cup matches in California, including how seating categories were presented, whether final seat assignments differed from those representations and how complaints were handled through refunds or other measures.
FIFA has also faced criticism over high ticket prices and its use of dynamic pricing, under which prices fluctuate based on demand.