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Scam Alert: How to buy World Cup tickets that aren’t fake
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December 12, 2017
by Alvaro Puig
Consumer Education Specialist, FTC

World cup trophy and a soccer ball

The 2018 World Cup kicks off on June 14, 2018 in Moscow. Soccer’s rising stars like Argentina’s Paulo Dybala, France’s Kylian Mbappé, and Brazil’s Gabriel Jesus will join World Cup veterans Cristiano Ronaldo, Luis Suárez, Isco, Toni Kroos, Neymar, and Lionel Messi to vie for the coveted World Cup trophy. If you’re looking to buy World Cup tickets, here’s what you need to know about buying official match tickets and avoiding a fake ticket scam.

Official match tickets are only available through FIFA’s website. FIFA.com is the official source for tickets. New for this World Cup: in addition to a real ticket, you’ll need a FAN ID to get into stadiums. If you buy tickets and decide to transfer them to someone else or re-sell them, FIFA.com is the only official website where you can do that.

Hospitality ticket packages are only available through FIFA’s website and authorized sales agents. Before you buy a hospitality ticket package that includes match tickets and other benefits, check FIFA's hospitality page to make sure the seller is an authorized agent. Stay away from other websites, even if they use logos and trademarks to make them look legitimate, or they say they’re a World Cup partner.

Buying World Cup tickets from other sources, like ticket resellers or ticket brokers, has risks. At the risk of repeating myself, FIFA.com is the only official source for tickets. If you buy tickets from other sources, you might not get your tickets in time for the match, you might not get them at all, or you might end up with fake or invalid tickets and not be able to get into the stadium. No one wants to see that happen, not even a life-long fan of your archrival. (Okay, maybe that’s debatable.)

If you or someone you know lost money to a bogus ticket seller, report it to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint or call 1-877-FTC-HELP.