Texas AG Ken Paxton launches investigation into FIFA ticket sales

Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday his office opened an investigation—just a couple of days before scheduled matches in Houston and Dallas—into allegations FIFA misled fans about the location and quality of seats sold. 

The attorney general notes his office has received reports from fans who bought seats that were “Category 1,” where they expected “premium views of the field.” However, after buying the tickets, the report claims FIFA “adjusted the seat maps to move these seats to what was originally designated as ‘Category 2,’ which has less optimal views of the field.” 

“Fans pay considerable amounts of money for the opportunity to attend these World Cup matches, with premium seats at the final match costing over $10,000,” Paxton’s office said in its news release. 

The allegations arrive amid intense demand for World Cup tickets. Chron previously reported that FIFA had sold more than 5 million of the roughly 6 million tickets available for the tournament by late April. Ticketing issues have also surfaced in recent weeks, including an incident in which about 60 fans received tickets that were later canceled after what FIFA described as a system error.

According to Paxton’s office, the investigation will examine whether FIFA violated the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act by misrepresenting the location or quality of seats sold to consumers.

“Sports have a unique power to bring people together, and FIFA must understand that Texans take their competition—and their consumer rights—seriously,” Paxton said in a public statement. “I will work to ensure that FIFA is engaging in ethical and honest business practices so that Texas fans are treated fairly.” 

“Anyone who imagined the conclusion of the case would bring sudden affordability to the music industry will soon be disappointed,” the Times’ Ben Sisario wrote. ” The verdict completed only one phase of what may be a yearslong legal process.”

Chron has reached out to FIFA for comment but has not heard back yet.