Fans say FIFA changed seat categories after World Cup ticket purchases
The FIFA World Cup 2026 is now just 57 days away, and some fans who paid top dollar for tickets say they're not getting what they expected.
Jordan Likover says he applied for as many matches as he could and ended up getting tickets to four, including three in North Texas.
"For three out of the four matches, I got Category 1 tickets, so those are, in theory, at the time, the best that you can get outside of hospitality tickets," he said.
Likover said when he bought those tickets, the online maps appeared to show Category 1 seats in prime sections, but when FIFA assigned the actual seats, there was a surprise.
"According to the original seat maps, they were in Category 2, and not long after the seats were assigned, the categories changed, and then they were technically in Category 1," he said. "The difference financially for the matches that I have that's probably close to like $1,000 difference. To change them after the fact just doesn't seem right."
Other fans report similar issues
Other fans we spoke to say they've also noticed changes to the maps. Likover has reached out to FIFA to see what can be done.
In a statement to CBS News Texas, a spokesperson for FIFA said, "These maps were designed to provide guidance rather than the exact seat layout." They said the maps were later updated as fan sections were organized and seats finalized.
"That wasn't made clear at this time of signing up for tickets," Likover said. "Some people have talked about maybe there's some legal recourse. I don't know what that involves or how that works."
For now, he says he's just hoping FIFA makes it right.
