SeatGeek denies Fifa collusion after bulk World Cup tickets appear on resale platform

SeatGeek has flatly denied holding any partnership or distribution agreement with Fifa after a Boston University economist alleged the platform was being used to offload bulk World Cup tickets at prices below those on Fifa’s official site.

Florian Ederer, a professor at Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, drew attention to the listings on X, pointing to large blocks of tickets for the Saudi Arabia v Cape Verde group-stage match on 26 June. The volume stood in stark contrast to the single seats, pairs, and groups of four that typically appear on secondary markets. Ederer alleged the pattern indicated Fifa was “colluding with third-party resale platforms for its own supply management”.

A SeatGeek spokesperson pushed back firmly. “SeatGeek is a trusted marketplace that gives fans secure access to tickets across tens of thousands of live events, including the World Cup,” the company told the Press Association. “We do not have a partnership or distribution agreement with Fifa.” Fifa had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.

Ederer’s posts also suggested a possible motive for any such arrangement: by routing tickets through secondary markets at reduced prices, Fifa could sidestep demands for refunds or charge-backs if it later lowered prices on its own primary platform.

The episode deepens an already contentious debate around Fifa’s approach to ticketing for this summer’s tournament. The governing body has drawn sustained criticism for adopting a dynamic pricing model and for running its own official resale platform that charges a 15 per cent commission from both buyer and seller on every transaction.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino defended the pricing strategy last month at a conference in Beverly Hills. “We have to look at the market — we are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world. So we have to apply market rates,” he said.

The tournament begins on 11 June with co-hosts Mexico facing South Africa. England open their campaign against 2018 finalists Croatia in Dallas, Texas, on 17 June.