FIFA’s latest World Cup ticket drop was perhaps its most frustrating yet.
Fans waited hours in the queue for a chance to buy tickets on Wednesday, during which FIFA said it would release new inventory for all 104 matches. The sale aligned with the 50-day mark from kickoff of the tournament hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, and was part of an ongoing “last-minute” sales phase from April 1 through the tournament.
When fans finally reached the front of the line, many received error messages. “You have sent too many requests in a short period of time,” the “Rate Limit Exceeded” message said. “Please wait a moment and try again.” Other fans said they were sent back into the line before they could secure tickets.
Front Office Sports waited more than five hours in the queue before being able to access tickets for the matches. The “too many requests” error message appeared after only selecting one match. The site eventually allowed a second match selection before the error message reappeared. Then FOS was sent back into the queue.
Fans on social media said they had a similar experience, some waiting up to eight hours. One fan reported being logged out while having tickets in their cart, while another said they were similarly “booted out” to the queue—after initially waiting three-and-a-half hours—for another four-and-a-half-hour wait.
For the fans who did get in, prices were still high.
One fan on Reddit claimed that they found a ticket for the July 19 final in New Jersey listed at $21,980, including taxes. FIFA did not immediately respond when asked to confirm the accuracy of that figure, nor did it respond to general questions about the ticket drop.
Tickets for the openers for the U.S. and Canada were listed for thousands of dollars, while group stage matches for lower demand teams were still hundreds of dollars, even in the lowest ticket categories. On the cheaper end, FOS spotted $180 tickets for a Morocco–Haiti group stage match in Atlanta.
High ticket prices have been an ongoing theme for this World Cup since FIFA first opened presales in the fall. The global governing body is using a dynamic pricing model that has increased costs, and is taking a 15% cut from both buyer and seller for transactions on its official resale site.
In October, tickets for the final started at $2,030. By April 1, they had reached as much as $10,990.
FIFA did sell some tickets early on for $60, and after backlash, created a new tier at that price for federations to each distribute about 500 tickets per match to members of official supporters groups.
The latest ticket sale is yet another example of the high costs for fans attending the tournament this sumer. Last week, New Jersey Transit announced its train carrying 40,000 fans to and from each match will cost $150 for a round-trip ticket. Boston’s MBTA set prices for its train at $80 per person.
Officials in New Jersey criticized FIFA in recent weeks for putting a burden on host regions. Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the global governing body should pay for New Jersey’s transit costs to accommodate the tournament. On Thursday, Rep. Nellie Pou, who represents the district for MetLife Stadium, posted a letter from several members of Congress addressed to FIFA that called for the organization to cover transit costs, and repeated Sherrill’s claim that the governing body will make $11 billion in tournament revenues.
FIFA has insisted that the $11 billion figure is “not profit” and will fund its other soccer efforts. At FIFA’s behest, national governments subsidized transit costs for fans at the past few World Cups, but in 2023 FIFA announced it would allow U.S. host cities to charge.
