A few days before starting the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canadathe Texas State Attorney’s Office announced that it will open an investigation against FIFA for alleged cases of fraud.
Through a statement, the Texas Prosecutor’s Office detailed that the investigation against FIFA began after the authorities received complaints of scams in ticket sales for the games that will be played in Houston and Dallas.
The Prosecutor’s Office indicated that several people “they were deceived” with ticket sales, especially in the location of the seats purchased.
One of the complaints details that a person paid for category 1 tickets, the highest and which includes panoramic views of the field. However, FIFA would have adjusted the seating maps and moved the seat that person to a lower category.
Texas authorities say most of the complaints are similar: people who received car seats a category lower than the one they had initially purchased.
“I will work to ensure that FIFA carries out ethical and honest business practices, so that Texas fans are treated fairly,” the attorney general said.
“Sport has a unique power to bring people together, and FIFA must understand that Texans take very seriously both the competition and their rights as consumers“he added.
It is not the only investigation against FIFA, since in other states, such as California and New York, Investigations were also initiated against the sports entity.
FIFA’s process to set the price of World Cup tickets, added to the high cost of matches and the lack of transparency in sales, has drawn criticism from fans and American prosecutors.
For example, tickets for the World Cup final, which will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, They have an estimated price of US$11,790.