A technical error in FIFA's website caused that some lucky users managed to grab free tickets for World Cup matches. It has been confirmed by FIFA to Sky Sports: "FIFA can confirm that approximately 60 FIFA World Cup 2026 fans received a communication on Wednesday, 3 June regarding tickets that had been allocated at no charge (0 USD) due to a prior payment issue during the checkout process".
However, despite being a mistake on their part, FIFA is now asking the buyers to pay up: "The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount". If they don't complete the payment in seven days, they will lose the tickets.
All of those tickets were for group stage matches in Toronto, which will host five matches: Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Ghana vs. Panama, Germany vs. Ivory Coast, Panama vs. Croatia, Senegal vs. Iraq.
This incident happened in a World Cup which has received a lot of criticism for high ticket prices, and recently officials in New York and New Jersey announced they are investigating whether ticketing practices violated consumer protection laws.