FIFA stated on Thursday that stadium maps shown when buying World Cup 2026 tickets were merely orientative, not exact, following fan complaints over mismatched seat categories. A spokesman said they provided a general guide to locations. Complaints arose at venues like AT&T Stadium in Arlington and Lumen Field in Seattle.
FIFA addressed fan criticisms in an email to EFE, where an unidentified spokesman clarified: “During the various pre-sale phases before the current last-minute sales phase, FIFA published orientative category maps to help fans understand the possible location of their seats within the stadium”.
“These maps aimed to provide a guide, not the exact seat distribution, and reflect the general extent of each ticket category within the stadium,” he added.
Fans like Jordan Likover complained of buying category 1 tickets for two matches at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, but receiving seats equivalent to category 2. “You can’t change the rules of the game after someone has played,” Likover said, according to The Athletic. Another fan reported a similar issue at the same stadium, and at Lumen Field in Seattle, some category 2 sections became category 3 per December updates.
Maps were updated after the final draw and the sale of fan allocations for participating countries' supporters, removing capacity limits and prior groupings. Ticket sales began last September for the tournament from June 11 to July 19, 2026, in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, with phases where buyers selected categories without knowing matches or exact seats.
