Overview
- Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton opened the investigation Tuesday after his office received multiple complaints that fans who bought premium “Category 1” World Cup tickets in Texas were later assigned seats placed into lower-tier areas.
- The probe will focus on whether FIFA’s marketing and seat maps misrepresented seat locations or quality in violation of the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act and related business rules.
- Texas joins New York, New Jersey and California in reviewing FIFA’s ticketing after subpoenas and inquiries in late May over dynamic pricing and post-sale seat adjustments.
- FIFA has not publicly responded to the Texas announcement and consumers face high stakes because many World Cup tickets carry thousands of dollars in face value under FIFA’s variable pricing model.
- If investigators find violations, possible outcomes include refunds, fines, forced disclosures of seat-assignment methods and ordered changes to ticketing practices that could affect fans arriving for matches in Arlington and Houston.