FIFA demands Toronto fans 'pay up' after glitch awarded free World Cup tickets

If you purchased a Category 2 ticket for Canada's FIFA World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12, it likely cost you more than $1,000. Unless you were one of about 60 lucky fans.

On Wednesday, FIFA reportedly contacted 60 individuals who purchased Category 2 tickets on May 21 for Match 3 (Canada v. Bosnia and Herzegovina) after a glitch in the organization's ticketing system allowed them to check out without paying.

Now, FIFA is demanding that these fans pay them back.

"The tickets requested by these fans remain reserved, and the affected fans have been invited to complete payment of the correct amount. FIFA regrets the error and any inconvenience caused," a FIFA spokesperson said in a response on X.

“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. The tickets requested by these fans remain…

— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) June 4, 2026

The issue reportedly stemmed from a pricing error that listed certain Category 2 tickets for the Canada match in Toronto at a negative value of approximately $2,000. Fans who added other Toronto World Cup matches to their cart were able to offset the total cost, bringing their final balance to zero.

According to screenshots of the email first shared on X by Scott Friedman of @TicketTalkNet, these fans have seven days to pay the correct amount or will run the risk of losing their seats.

One Toronto-based fan shared that he picked up eight tickets in total, four Category 2 tickets for Canada's opener and another four for Match 46, the Croatia vs. Panama game on June 23.

Category 2 tickets for the opening match in Toronto (Match 3) were listed at a negative $2,000 value. Photo: @theaub/X

He explained that if the order balanced out perfectly, the checkout process would skip the payment screen entirely and complete the transaction without requiring a credit card.

Despite receiving the tickets, the fan said he wasn't surprised by FIFA's response, calling it "obvious."

The incident comes as the sky-high ticket prices for Canada's opening match continue to draw attention.

As of Friday morning, more than 250 tickets remained available for that match through FIFA's official ticketing platform, with the only seats available listed at more than $3,100.