When you buy World Cup 2026 tickets, you’re agreeing to FIFA’s Terms of Sale, a 29 page legal document most fans will (understandably) never read. But, buried in that fine print are important restrictions, fees, and cancellation policies that could affect your purchase.
This guide breaks down many key points from FIFA’s official Ticket Terms of Sale that every fan should at least be aware of before acting. Yes, some of these are nearly impossible to police but you can never say FIFA didn’t warn you.
The goal of this article is to serve as an informational “cliff notes” version. We’ve pulled the most (to our discretion) important, surprising, or potentially costly details so you don’t have to wade through legal jargon. Here’s the link to their Terms of Sale.
PAYMENT & REFUND REALITIES
- First, the obvious: All Sales are Final. Once payment processes, you cannot cancel or return tickets for any reason (Clause 7.7)
- Your credit card must match your account. That is the payment card must be registered in your name or verified as belonging to you. You cannot use someone else’s card through your account, or let someone use your card through their account. This one is important and may catch people by surprise! (Clause 9.3)
- FIFA can re-charge your card later. That is, you authorize them to charge you again for “refunds, reversals, or chargebacks owed back to them” (Clause 9.4)
- FIFA keeps a fee on team-based refunds. If your team doesn’t qualify/advance, FIFA keeps $10 USD / $15 CAD / $200 MXN per ticket (Clauses 5.2.2, 5.3.2, 5.3.3)
STRICT TICKET LIMITS
- Max 4 tickets per match per home. Not per person. Your entire household (same address) shares this limit. And yes, as reported earlier by The Athletic, there’s a lot of room for interpretation and variances. (Clause 8.3)
- Max 40 tickets total for the entire tournament per household (Clause 8.3)
- Only one match per day allowed in the account. This isn’t Qatar and your household can’t attend multiple matches on the same calendar day (Clause 8.4)
- You can only have one ticketing account. Creating multiple accounts is prohibited (Clause 7.2)
GUEST & TRANSFER RULES
- You must attend with your guests. Unless expressly permitted otherwise, you can’t just send tickets to friends and not go. In those cases, you need to transfer ownership of the ticket to them, not have them as an invited guest. (Clause 8.2)
- Guests must be “bona fide” with “pre-existing relationship”. Friends/family only, not random strangers. This is the most “impossible to police” clause ever but hey – it is still there. (Clause 8.2)
SEATING SURPRISES
- Tickets in same order might not be together. FIFA “attempts but does not guarantee” adjacent seating. This does happen but it is infrequent and they know it is possible so they put this clause in there. (Clause 3.3)
- Your seats can be relocated anytime. FIFA can move you to a different seat (same/better category) with no refund option. Again, only a clause for protection and highly unlikely. (Clause 3.4)
MOBILE TICKET REQUIREMENTS
- Tickets are mobile-only. Unless FIFA says otherwise, no paper tickets (Clause 12.2)
- Must have compatible device & internet to operate the FIFA app with internet access at stadium. No refund if your device doesn’t work (Clause 12.5)
- Guests under 16 can’t use the app. You must hold their ticket and enter the stadium together. (Clause 13.2)
CANCELLATION b/c of VIOLATION POWERS
- FIFA can cancel your tickets anytime without refund if they determine you violated any terms (Clause 8.9)
- Unauthorized resale = void. Tickets from unauthorized channels can be cancelled by FIFA without warning (Clause 8.8)
- Account sharing = ban risk. It was said earlier but sharing your account is strictly prohibited (Clause 7.2)
RESALE RESTRICTIONS BY LOCATION
- FIFA’s marketplace is the ONLY authorized resale platform – The Terms of Sale explicitly state “DO NOT PURCHASE TICKETS VIA UNAUTHORISED SALES CHANNELS” and that unauthorized tickets “MAY BE DECLARED INVALID OR CANCELLED BY FIFA TICKETING AT ANY TIME WITHOUT NOTICE” (Clause 8.8)
- Language discrepancy between legal terms and FAQ – While the binding Terms of Sale use definitive “DO NOT PURCHASE” language, FIFA’s customer-facing FAQ softens this to “strongly encourage” purchasing only through official channels (FAQ 25)
- Summary: Unauthorized sources = your risk – You’ll have to balance the risk of technicalities vs realistic enforcement. StubHub, Vivid Seats, SeatGeek, Facebook, etc. are all technically considered unauthorized. FIFA reserves the legal right to cancel these tickets without refund, though enforcement methods and frequency are not specified (Clause 8.8, FAQ 25)
- Mexico residents: exchange only – Can only swap tickets at original or lower price, not true resale (Clause 14.2.1)
- Everyone else: Can resell for a profit on FIFA’s exchange marketplace at any price. (Clause 14.2.2)
- You’re responsible for taxes on resales, when applicable. FIFA doesn’t handle tax collection on secondary sales (Clause 14.3)
HIDDEN PREMIUM CHARGES
- “Opening Match Premium” up to 140%. This one may catch fans by surprise! If your team-package lands an opening match, FIFA can charge up to 140% MORE than you originally paid (Clause 5.2.3)
- Currency exchange = your problem. FIFA is not responsible for foreign transaction fees or exchange rate losses (Clause 6.4)
Disclaimer: While we’ve worked to maintain accuracy in the summaries but always review the official Terms of Sale before purchasing. This is for informational purposes only and not legal advice.
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