California questions FIFA’s possible violations in World Cup ticket sales

California attorney general asks FIFA to explain why the categories of some tickets were changed after being sold.California has contacted FIFA over possible legal violations in the sale of World Cup tickets following allegations that some fans purchased seats in categories that were later changed, the state’s attorney general said.The probe, which comes as supporters complain about the high prices of tickets for this year’s tournament, follows reports that football’s governing body sold tickets by categories displayed on stadium maps, but later adjusted those categories before assigning specific seats.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Can you identify all 48 teams in World Cup 2026?This article will be opened in a new browser windowlist 2 of 4Nations that have won the FIFA World Cup: The all-time listlist 3 of 4Will Messi play? Argentina answer fan queries in 55-man World Cup squadlist 4 of 4One month to the World Cup: Five trending topics among football fansend of list“Californians should be able to trust that the seats they purchase match the representations made during the sales process,” Attorney General Rob Bonta said in a statement on Wednesday.“We look forward to receiving the requested information from FIFA as part of our ongoing review.”The Athletic first reported last month that World Cup ticket buyers were accusing FIFA of “misleading” them with stadium maps that misrepresented the potential location of seats they were purchasing.More than three million tickets to the 2026 World Cup, which kicks off on June 11 and is being held in the United States (US), Canada and Mexico, were sold in four differently priced categories, based on colour-coded stadium maps shown online during the purchasing process.But “Category 1” ticket holders were placed in sections that, at one point, were colour-coded as “Category 2,” according to the report.In his letter to FIFA, Bonta noted that “some consumers have reported feeling deceived because the seats they were ultimately assigned belonged to a lower-tiered category based on the seating map available to them at the time of purchase”.