World Cup tickets originally allocated to or purchased by national soccer federations are appearing on resale marketplaces, in many cases selling for well above face value. FIFA says federation-held tickets are subject to restrictions on resale, raising questions about how the tickets reached the secondary market and whether they were listed by the federations themselves or by downstream recipients, such as invited guests or supporters.
SBJ has reviewed documentation initially obtained by social media creator Evan Sutton (@evanyellsatclouds on Instagram), who has posted a series of videos about the resale of federation-linked tickets. The screenshots show tickets bearing the names of several federations, including U.S. Soccer and the national associations of Albania, Ecuador, Cabo Verde, Iraq and San Marino, that were obtained through secondary-market channels.
The federation listed as the “ticket holder” identifies the entity that initially received or purchased the ticket from FIFA, according to U.S. Soccer and others with knowledge of the ticketing process. That designation remains unchanged after the ticket is transferred, however, so it does not necessarily indicate that the federation itself listed the ticket for resale or profited.
FIFA said that participating member associations “have access to a defined allocation of tickets for each of their respective matches, which they are entitled to allocate to their guests and supporters in accordance with their own processes.” Non-participating federations “may purchase tickets through FIFA’s group sales programme.”
The governing body added that federations are subject to “clear provisions regarding the permitted use of tickets, as well as restrictions on resale” and that “all entities purchasing tickets are required to comply with these requirements.”
Broadly speaking, federation-linked tickets can come from at least two types of inventory. One consists of tickets purchased by federations for distribution or sale to supporters. Another includes institutional, complimentary or restricted inventory distributed to federation employees, officials or special guests. The applicable resale rules may differ depending on the ticket category, but the appearance of institutional or restricted inventory on resale platforms would raise more serious concerns.
U.S. Soccer has asserted that any of its tickets found on resale marketplaces would fall into the first category. The federation said it purchased more than 50,000 tickets from FIFA to “ensure access for its fans” and denied listing any tickets on non-FIFA resale platforms itself.
“Any tickets showing up on the secondary market are being listed by individual buyers in their sole discretion,” the federation said.
In one case, a confirmation email shows that a buyer paid $2,520 each on SeatGeek for two Category 1 tickets to the June 25 Germany-Ecuador group-stage match at MetLife Stadium. Each ticket displayed a price of $700 in FIFA’s app and identified the ticket holder as “United States Soccer Federation, Inc.”
U.S. Soccer did not identify the original recipient of those tickets or confirm whether they were initially sold through its fan-ticket program. It also did not specify what resale restrictions, if any, it communicated to the individuals who purchased tickets from its inventory.
At least two of the tickets examined by SBJ, however, show signs that they may have originated from more restricted federation inventory.
One ticket bearing the Iraqi Football Association’s name was marked “non-transferable,” according to a screenshot reviewed by SBJ that a source said was connected to a secondary-market transaction. That ticket was for the June 16 match between France and Senegal at MetLife Stadium.
Another ticket for the June 14 Ecuador-Côte d’Ivoire match in Philadelphia identified the holder as “Secretaría General FEF,” referring to the general secretariat of the Federación Ecuatoriana de Fútbol. That is notably different than the other tickets examined, which feature only the name of the national federation as the ticket holder. A fan said they purchased the ticket from the operator of an Ecuador-focused Instagram page that has advertised tickets to several World Cup matches in recent months.
The federations of Ecuador, Cabo Verde, Iraq and San Marino did not respond to requests for comment.
The Albanian Football Association said it receives a limited allocation of World Cup tickets and is reviewing the specific ticket brought to its attention. It said it has not sold World Cup tickets above FIFA-established prices and does not authorize resale in violation of FIFA regulations.
FIFA has previously disciplined federation officials over the unauthorized resale of World Cup tickets. In 2019, it suspended Cook Islands Football Association President Lee Harmon for three months and fined him 20,000 Swiss Francs in a case involving the resale of 2018 World Cup tickets. Later that year, FIFA suspended Federation of Uganda Football Associations President Moses Hassim Magogo for two months and fined him 10,000 Swiss Francs in connection with the resale of 2014 World Cup tickets.
FIFA did not indicate whether a federation bears responsibility when an individual recipient resells a ticket. The governing body also did not say whether it is investigating the specific tickets provided by SBJ.
