German Court Issues Limited Injunction Against FIFA Ticketing Practices

A German court issued a preliminary injunction against FIFA over its ticketing practices for the 2026 World Cup, Newsweek reported. The order carries a threat of fines up to €250,000 per violation and up to six months imprisonment for FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Secretary General Mattias Grafström. Berlin-based resale company Ticombo brought the case.

Ticombo said in a Tuesday statement that it acted to ensure transparency, fairness, and consumer rights remain central in ticketing for major events. Legal counsel Marçal Gutiérrez told Newsweek that Ticombo takes consumer protection and transparency very seriously and believes all players must abide by the same rules.

Ticombo alleged FIFA failed to disclose the identity and address of commercial sellers on its secondary resale market.

The company also claimed FIFA’s primary sales platform used bait-and-switch pricing that raised advertised costs at checkout. Ticombo is not seeking monetary compensation. FIFA did not respond to the court order and did not attend the proceedings, according to Newsweek.

The injunction applies only in Germany and came too late to affect sales for the current tournament, which ends Sunday when Argentina faces Spain in the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. In late May, New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport subpoenaed FIFA as part of a joint probe into its ticketing system.

Ticombo said it will continue pressing FIFA for changes ahead of the 2030 World Cup, which will be hosted primarily by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain.