About 60 fans who secured tickets at $0 told to pay within seven days or risk losing their seats

FIFA has moved to correct a ticketing error that briefly allowed a small number of fans to secure free tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The global football body confirmed that a technical glitch during the checkout process on its ticketing platform resulted in roughly 60 supporters being issued tickets at “0 USD.” The error has since been addressed, but not before the affected fans received confirmation of their bookings at no cost.

In a statement, FIFA acknowledged the issue and said those impacted were contacted on Wednesday, June 3, and informed of the next steps.

“FIFA can confirm that approximately 60 FIFA World Cup 2026 fans received communication regarding tickets that had been allocated at no charge (0 USD) due to a prior payment issue during checkout,” the organisation said.

Despite the mix-up, FIFA made it clear that the tickets are not free. The affected fans have now been asked to complete payment for the correct ticket price if they wish to retain their seats.

“The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount,” FIFA added.

According to reports and a widely shared email cited by Ticket Talk Network, the fans have been given a strict seven-day deadline to pay. Failure to do so will result in the automatic cancellation of their tickets.

The incident has sparked debate online, with some questioning whether FIFA should honour the mistakenly issued tickets, while others argue the governing body is within its rights to correct the pricing error.