KICKING THEMSELVES

World Cup Fans Fume Over Ticket Lottery Chaos

A FIFA representative blamed “extraordinary” demand for the failure.

Thousands wishing to attend next summer’s FIFA World Cup in North America were left scratching their heads in disbelief on Wednesday. A portal was opened at 11 a.m. EST for wannabe ticket buyers—who also must hold a credit card by VISA, a top FIFA sponsor—to enter their name in a lottery to maybe be given the right to buy match tickets at a later date. Issues with FIFA’s site were reported immediately, as countless soccer fans complained online that they were placed in a queue for over an hour before their page timed out and they were kicked out of line. Fans railed against FIFA over the technical errors and criticized its “convoluted” ticketing process, which requires fans to enter a lottery in September... just to be placed in a second ticket lottery. A FIFA official admitted to The Athletic that it was facing issues, but chalked up the poor rollout—the first real event ahead of the global tournament—to being the result of “extraordinary” demand. World Cup tickets are set to be dynamically priced, but FIFA has said the cheapest tickets will start at $60. FIFA’s president, Gianni Infantino, has been cozying up to President Donald Trump in recent White House visits as concerns rise about the U.S. hosting a global event in MAGA 2.0. Even Alexi Lalas, a proudly MAGA soccer pundit, is begging Trump not to “f--k up” the torney.