Looking for World Cup Tickets? Watch Out for Fake FIFA Websites, FBI Warns

The agency says scammers are using look-alike domains to prey on soccer fans searching for affordable seats

Donna Freydkin,

AARP

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Published June 09, 2026

a hand holding a smartphone that is displaying a website advertising world cup tickets for sale

Fans looking for World Cup tickets should use official FIFA channels, check URLs carefully and avoid suspicious links to reduce the risk of ticket scams.

AARP (Getty Images, Alamy Stock Photo)

Key takeaways

The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs June 11 through July 19 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The FBI says scammers are creating bogus FIFA websites to steal personal information and sell fake tickets.
To avoid scams, type fifa.com directly into your browser, check the URL carefully and don’t pay strangers through peer-to-peer apps.

As soccer fans search for affordable tickets to the FIFA World Cup 2026, scammers are taking advantage of their desperation in the face of sky-high prices. The FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center issued a public service announcement on May 27 warning that cybercriminals are spoofing FIFA websites, using the fake pages to steal personal information and sell bogus tickets and hospitality packages.

The tournament opens June 11 in Mexico City, with the group stage running through June 27, followed by knockout matches. The final is July 19 at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium. The World Cup comprises 48 teams, 104 matches and 16 host cities across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

That leaves scammers several weeks to exploit fans eager to score tickets to in-demand games.

But FIFA, soccer’s worldwide governing body, is the only authorized source for World Cup tickets. FIFA warns that tickets sold on unofficial resale sites, via social media or through third-party vendors may be fake, overpriced, already void or sold to multiple buyers.

High prices draw bargain hunters — and scammers

World Cup tickets are expensive: Some games run more than $12,000 a seat on FIFA’s own ticketing site. That’s because FIFA uses dynamic pricing (meaning costs fluctuate based on demand and availability) to raise its already record-high prices further and has made reselling part of its ticketing model. For the first time, FIFA has launched its own resale platform with no price caps. It charges both buyers and sellers a 15 percent fee on every sale, according to The Athletic.

FIFA says the prices reflect the North American sports market and help fund soccer globally. Fans and watchdogs argue that the costs have turned a global tournament into a luxury event that remains inaccessible to many sports lovers.

The tight market has left many ticket seekers looking for bargains. When they find an unusually cheap seat, they may rush to pay before checking the domain, the payment method or the seller. That confusion is compounded by FIFA’s own clunky ticketing process, which can require fans to complete several CAPTCHA screenings and be placed in a virtual waiting room until they’re admitted to the ticket-sales interface.

A flood of fake websites

The FBI has identified dozens of fake FIFA-related websites. Some use official-sounding names, such as “fifaworldcup26.sale,” while others rely on typos, such as “wvvw-fifa.com.” The bureau warned that more fake sites are likely to appear during the tournament.

AARP’s guidance for avoiding scams when purchasing sports or concert tickets notes that criminals often use social media and online marketplaces, along with the aforementioned fake ticket-selling websites, to find their targets. Scammers may ask for payment through a peer-to-peer app such as Zelle or Venmo, then send a counterfeit ticket or disappear after the money’s been transferred.

How to avoid ticket scams

Your safest option is to go directly through FIFA — https://www.fifa.com/en/tickets — when buying tickets. Type in the domain name (or click our link in the previous sentence) rather than clicking a search result or ad.

If you are contemplating using another vendor:

1. Be particularly cautious with ads. The FBI says malicious advertisements may redirect users to a different site than the one shown, and users should check the URL before clicking. If you’re logging in to a website repeatedly, the bureau recommends making it a bookmark or “Favorite” and clicking on that, rather than on search results or ads.

2. Don’t use peer-to-peer apps to pay strangers for World Cup tickets. Credit cards usually offer stronger consumer protections. Buyers who use Zelle, Venmo, PayPal, Cash App or a wire transfer to send money to a scammer are unlikely to get their money back. A QR code is not proof that a ticket is real.

3. Do your research. If you buy from a major resale site like Ticketmaster, verify that the URL is exactly right and check the ticket details against the seating chart. If a site asks for sensitive information and you are unsure whether it is legitimate, stop. The FBI warns that personal information collected through spoofed sites can be used for identity fraud.

If you experience a scam

Anyone who has already paid through a fake World Cup site should document the domain, the interaction, the information provided and any financial details, including the payment date, amount, account numbers, the receiving financial institution or cryptocurrency addresses. The FBI says victims should file a complaint with the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3.gov).

If you’ve been targeted by a scam or have questions about fraud, the AARP Fraud Watch Network Helpline offers free support from fraud specialists at 877-908-3360, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET.

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Donna Freydkin has spent 10-plus years interviewing celebrities for major publications, and has written for a variety of outlets such as USA Today, Allure, Yahoo! and CNN covering topics such as films, family and favorite meals.