FIFA Faces Criminal Complaint Over World Cup Ticket Offer
(Bloomberg) — Switzerland’s gambling regulator has filed a criminal complaint with authorities against FIFA, following a preliminary probe into sales of blockchain-based tokens linked to World Cup tickets.
Gespa, which also oversees lotteries and sports betting, said the FIFA Collect platform constituted “gambling services that are not licensed in Switzerland and are therefore illegal,” according to a statement on its website.
Gespa began its investigation earlier this month, following a query into the token sales from Bloomberg News. Gespa can order Swiss-based companies that break its rules to halt wrongdoing, and added that the “final criminal assessment is the responsibility of the law enforcement authorities.”
Gespa declined to comment further. A spokesperson for FIFA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The complaint comes following an increase in criticism from fan groups over the high costs for World Cup 2026, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Last year, FIFA started selling so-called Right to Buy tokens via the platform, providing fans an early option for getting their hands on World Cup 2026 tickets.
This new strategy aimed to simplify the ticket acquisition process for fans, bypassing FIFA’s standard general sale structure of lotteries and staggered releases. The general sale process is notoriously competitive and becomes more costly as tickets become scarce.
Token holders of FIFA’s Right to Buy tokens are guaranteed the ability to buy a ticket for a specific match once tickets go on sale, even if the seat and teams playing are unknown at the time. They can also trade these tokens on secondary markets, where they can be sold for hundreds or thousands of dollars.
Some of these tokens are tied to a national squad — but come with greater risk. The Right to Final token, for example, offers fans an opportunity to purchase a ticket to the World Cup final match, but only if the team whose collectible they’ve bought makes it that far. Those tokens cost $999 a piece.
Buyers of FIFA’s tokens have complained after it was revealed the majority of Right to Buy holders would only gain access to tickets in the most expensive price categories, the Athletic reported earlier this month.
“From a gambling law perspective, the offers in question are partly lotteries and partly sports betting (Right to Final),” Gespa said in the statement on Friday.
The regulator is obliged to notify competent prosecution authorities if it becomes aware of violations of Switzerland’s federal gambling law.
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