FIFA's U.S. ticketing arm faces D.C. class action over Category 1 seat maps

The complaint was filed against FWC2026 US Inc, FIFA's U.S. ticketing subsidiary, by Washington, D.C. resident Vera Feinhaus. She brought it for consumers who bought Category 1 tickets in the District, TicketNews reported.

Feinhaus paid $1,680 including tax for two Category 1 seats at a July 4 match in Philadelphia, or $840 a seat. FIFA had not assigned specific seats when she bought, so she relied on a map showing Category 1 through lower-bowl sideline and midfield areas, according to the complaint. FIFA sent seat assignments in March, and hers were near a corner.

The $840 a seat compares with $60 tickets FIFA offered to national federations for regular supporters after criticism, the Associated Press reported. FIFA said it offered 130,000 tickets in that category.

What the maps showed

Category 1 is the most expensive tier and sits in the lower tier. Category 2 spans both tiers outside Category 1 areas, Category 3 sits mainly in the upper tier, and Category 4 is the cheapest, in the upper tier outside the other categories, Goal reported.

In FIFA's early sales phases, many buyers chose a category rather than a section or seat, TicketNews reported. The complaint says color-coded stadium maps showed Category 1 stretching through lower-bowl sideline and midfield areas. A reasonable buyer would read that as at least a chance of a midfield seat, it argues.

The suit claims the best midfield seats were never in the ordinary Category 1 pool. It points to separate hospitality maps showing premium midfield sections allocated to hospitality products that buyers never saw during the ordinary purchase. Hospitality accounts for roughly 15% of ticket sales, the complaint says. It also notes that premium midfield inventory does not appear on FIFA's official resale platform.

Other Category 1 buyers landed in corners or behind the goals, according to the complaint.

The claim FIFA must answer

The suit does not rest on Feinhaus disliking her seats. Its central claim is that FIFA misrepresented the pool of seats available when it sold the tickets.

The complaint likens the purchase to a lottery ticket covering every seat shaded as Category 1. It alleges the most valuable seats were never in that lottery. The theory is narrow: not that the seats were bad, but that the map promised a pool that did not exist.

"Had Plaintiff known that premium midfield seats were not a possibility, she would have made a different purchasing decision," the complaint states.

The New York Post first reported the case, TicketNews said. The case is proposed, not certified, and sits at filing stage.

State inquiries

The allegations track questions from state regulators. California Attorney General Rob Bonta opened an inquiry in May after reports that FIFA changed category boundaries and introduced new premium Front Categories after earlier customers had bought tickets, TicketNews reported. New York and New Jersey subpoenas cover eight matches at MetLife Stadium, including the final, and examine misleading seat representations and variable pricing. Attorneys general in California, New Jersey, New York and Texas have opened ticket probes, the AP reported.