Overview
- Football Supporters Europe and Euroconsumers filed an 18-page complaint with the European Commission on Tuesday, alleging FIFA used its ticketing monopoly to impose excessive prices and unfair conditions.
- The Commission confirmed receipt and said it will review the case under standard procedures, while the complainants seek quick price caps, clearer seat information, and a freeze on dynamic pricing before the next sales phase in April.
- The filing cites uncapped dynamic pricing, limited detail on seat locations, pressure-selling “dark patterns,” high resale fees, and $60 tickets that were so scarce fans call the ads misleading.
- The groups say the cheapest openly available final seats now start at $4,185, far above 2022 levels, and point to resale listings that reach six figures, which they argue puts ordinary supporters out of reach.
- FIFA defends prices as driven by strong demand and says nearly seven million tickets have been offered, while the complaint leans on EU competition law and a 2023 court ruling that allows scrutiny of sports bodies, with no set deadline for any EU action.