FIFA has ways for you to score World Cup tickets. Just make sure you read the fine print

Earlier this month, FIFA unveiled a ticket promotion which looks on the level — until you read the fine print.

Dubbed “ticket packs,” FIFA’s latest offer gives purchasers of tickets to this year’s Club World Cup early access to a presale for tickets to next summer’s FIFA World Cup. There are two options to choose from in a straightforward standard ticket pack and the “super” pack.

Buyers of a standard pack had to pick a minimum of two Club World Cup games with an option to buy a third. Each ticket purchased offered the opportunity to get hands on tickets to next year’s matches.

The super pack allowed up to 20 games, but purchases had to be made for either the opening match of the tournament between Major League Soccer’s Inter Miami FC and Al Ahly FC, of the Saudi League or a ticket to either the semifinal or final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

Same thing in the sense that each ticket sold opens up an opportunity to get first dibs on World Cup tickets in 2026.

According to a clause in FIFA’s Terms and Conditions, FIFA has the right to assign both the games and the availability of seats in a stadium. For example, if you’re located in Seattle and was hoping that securing Club World Cup tickets at Lumen Field ensured tickets to the venue for World Cup games next year, you might be locked out of availability for that stadium and for even the same section of seating.

Assuming you long onto the presale fast enough next year to get your hands on tickets.

The clause, listed as 2.4 in the terms of sale read:

Tickets available to be included within Ticket Packages shall be subject to availability and available for purchase on a first-come first-served basis. By way of these Terms of Sale, FIFA Ticketing makes no guarantees as to the availability of Tickets and any indication on the availability of Tickets by FIFA Ticketing is for guidance purposes.”

Seats are available in a tiered format with “Category 1” seats cater to seats in a stadium’s lower bowl start at around $140 and go to as much as $2,500 as of April 8 for tickets for the final. “Category 2” in the upper bowls start at $70 and up before all of the bells and whistles of fees and taxes are added.

What FIFA didn’t bury under multi-paragraph clauses was that the deal is void if fans sell their tickets on the secondary market or refuse to attend matches in which they’ve paid for. Also, no deal if the seats weren’t purchased directly via FIFA’s ticket portal or on its website fifa.com/tickets.

Also the ticket pack promotion was only lasting for 25 days after its initial release on April 3, or until supplies run out, according to FIFA.

It’s safe to say that buy the time you read this if it’s still within the governing body’s 25-day window, you’ll be safe to purchase tickets at FIFA’s face value. Reports suggest that demand for the Club World Cup has been stagnant for many of the matches across the 11 cities scheduled to host the World Cup.

This isn’t FIFA’s first foray into offering exclusive presale access. Earlier this year, they used gamification to entice people to purchase digital player cards that could give the opportunity to purchase tickets to next year’s World Cup as well.

Known as “bundle rewards,” each pack of cards could contain access to purchase category 1 seats to the Club World Cup, and offer an early opportunity to secure tickets for the round of 16.

“It all looks cool, but it’s also confusing,” said Ryan Schwartz, who already purchased his seats for two Club World Cup matches through the standard pack promotion. “I only did it to make sure I can get first crack at World Cup tickets, but I’m still waiting on next steps from FIFA. I know, I have a foot in the door, but I don’t really know what that means — if that makes any sense.”