Attorney General Bonta Seeks Answers from FIFA Regarding Potentially Misleading 2026 World Cup Ticketing Practices

Requests information on 2026 World Cup ticket sales for California games following recent reporting

OAKLAND - California Attorney General Rob Bonta today sent a letter to FIFA raising concerns about reports of potentially misleading ticketing practices related to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and requesting information to assess potential violations of California law. California law provides strong protections for consumers, including strict prohibitions on marketing practices that are likely to mislead them. Businesses and organizations also cannot justify misleading practices by pointing to fine print or other terms that a reasonable consumer would not have seen or understood. Recent reports have raised concerns that FIFA sold tickets based on seating categories displayed on stadium maps and later altered those seating categorizations before assigning precise seat locations.

"Californians deserve transparency and fairness when purchasing tickets for any event held in our state," said Attorney General Bonta. "The FIFA World Cup only comes once every four years - and as someone who played soccer in college and beyond, has a daughter and daughter-in-law who play professional soccer, and still has a deep passion for the sport - I understand the significance these matches hold for fans. Californians should be able to trust that the seats they purchase match the representations made during the sales process. We look forward to receiving the requested information from FIFA as part of our ongoing review."

Scheduled to begin on Thursday, June 11, the 2026 FIFA World Cup will feature matches across the United States, including in California at SoFi Stadium in the Los Angeles area and Levi's Stadium in the San Francisco Bay area. To assess whether California law may have been violated, Attorney General Bonta is requesting information about ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup games in California, including how seating categories were represented, whether seat assignments differed from those representations, what disclosures were provided to buyers, and how any issues were addressed through refunds or other remedies.

Californians who believe they were misled can file a complaint at oag.ca.gov/report.