World Cup Ticket Sellers Still Waiting for FIFA Refunds

Arik Shalmiyev was ecstatic when a pair of tickets he listed on FIFA’s World Cup ticket marketplace to the quarterfinal match in Kansas City sold, netting him more than $10,000 after FIFA fees.

Two months after that match, the 25-year-old Brooklynite is still waiting for his money, plus proceeds from two other sales he made on the platform. In total, Shalmiyev says FIFA owes him more than $15,000.

“To me, it doesn’t even feel like it’s my money anymore,” Shalmiyev tells Front Office Sports. “I’ll believe it when I see it at this point.”

Shalmiyev is part of a large community of soccer fans who have struggled to recoup money from selling tickets on FIFA’s official marketplace. Three other soccer fans tell FOS they’re in a similar boat, waiting on payments while receiving conflicting messages from FIFA. Many have shared their experiences on Reddit threads, and some posted they received their money after spamming multiple FIFA departments or sending email templates laced with legal threats.

FIFA’s policy for its 2026 exchange marketplace was to take a 15% cut from both the buyer and the seller, then pay back the person who listed the tickets within 60 days of the sale. It’s been more than 60 days since the World Cup ended July 19.

FIFA has told fans in emails that refunds may take longer than 60 days “due to high volume.”

In a statement to FOS, a FIFA spokesperson said the governing body “is continuing to issue eligible resale payments and refunds and is actively working to complete the remaining outstanding cases.” The FIFA spokesperson said a “limited number” of sales have needed “manual review or additional customer information,” particularly because FIFA ran into issues in which money “could not be returned to the original payment method.”

“Dedicated teams are reviewing and resolving pending transactions, including those that require alternative banking arrangements or additional verification,” the spokesperson said. “Consumers with unresolved cases are encouraged to continue working through FIFA Ticketing’s customer support channels so that any outstanding information can be confirmed and payments finalized as quickly as possible.”

Ticket sellers describe a frustrating experience with FIFA’s customer service.

Bart McKay, a 57-year-old from Waco, Texas, tells FOS he’s been told on four different phone calls since late August that FIFA has his bank account information and would pay him within the next week. McKay, who also volunteered for FIFA during the World Cup, is still waiting to be paid close to $1,900.

Shalmiyev said he’s been told there’s an issue with his bank account—even though FIFA already refunded him twice to his credit card and once to his bank account.

“What do you mean this doesn’t work?” Shalmiyev says. “This is literally how you paid me.”

‘Beyond Frustrating’

FIFA told at least two fans this month that their refunds have been processed, according to emails viewed by FOS. But those fans say they have not received the funds in their account.

One of them is Robert Forster, 48, of Colleyville, Texas. He sold his only two World Cup tickets—to see Lionel Messi and Argentina in Dallas—after his family decided to visit during the same period. His tickets sold on FIFA’s ticket marketplace on June 13, earning him more than $3,000 from the sale.

Forster, an attorney, tells FOS he has peppered FIFA with 36 emails since late August. He received emails on Sept. 11 and Sept. 22 saying his payment was on the way but he has no details of those wires and has not yet received the money. He says what the global governing body is doing to him and others is “completely criminal” and that he “probably will file a lawsuit.”

“They’re making just insane amounts of money on interest alone with interest rates where they are these days just by holding it, and their lack of accountability is just pitiful,” Forster says. “We’ve done everything they’ve asked us to do. And not only are they not delivering, but we’re not even getting transparency or personalized responses. So it’s just beyond frustrating.”

Chaun Basile, a 50-year-old from Toronto, received the same email proclaiming her payment had gone through on Friday, but she says she has not received the money. She’s waiting for roughly $5,000 after selling two tickets for the Atlanta semifinal.

“When I hear other people’s stories, it just irks me a little bit more,” Basile tells FOS. “It’s really soured me on FIFA itself.”

FIFA’s World Cup ticket process has been a headache for fans from the first drop. High prices, obscurity around seat locations, new seat categories as the tournament neared, and dramatic fees on the resale platform have confused fans and increased profits for FIFA, which made $15 billion from the World Cup. Multiple state attorneys general have raised concerns or have begun formal investigations into FIFA’s World Cup ticketing practices.

“I bought these tickets on April 1,” Forster says. “Should’ve foreseen that was going to be a bad omen.”