When tickets went on sale for the six FIFA World Cup games being hosted in Toronto next year, Aidan D’Souza and his family were lucky enough to snag a few, but he says it wasn’t easy.
They got an email a week before the official ticket draw opened on Nov. 30, he says, asking if they wanted to secure “hospitality tickets.” They accepted, but D’Souza says that was just the beginning.
“We needed to act really quick when getting the tickets because FIFA was actually increasing the price as the day [went] on,” D’Souza said. “We had 15 minutes once we secured the tickets in our cart. So it was a really intense moment entering all the details in, but I’m just so happy we’ve secured those three tickets.”
Tickets in Toronto — one of 16 North American host cities for next summer’s FIFA World Cup — have sold out about as quickly as they’ve been released. For most other people looking to check out the action, the resale market is the only option.
Anyone who’s tried to get resale tickets to a major event in recent years will know the pain, frustration and, most of all, cost of the secondary market.
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Tickets on StubHub, a popular third-party reseller, have gone for as much as $80,000, and are currently going for over $2,000 a pop at minimum. It’s not a new problem — ask any Swiftie about the Eras Tour’s Toronto stop and there was the Blue Jays’ run to the World Series — and it’s made worse by Ontario’s resale laws.
In 2019, Doug Ford’s government scrapped part of a law that capped ticket resales at 50 per cent above the original price, allowing sites like Ticketmaster, StubHub and SeatGeek to set whatever price they think people will pay.
That’s a big issue, leaving low- and middle-income fans on the outside looking in, says Vass Bednar, managing director of the Canadian SHIELD Institute, a policy institute focused on Canada’s economy.
Some people, Bednar says, might argue events are commodities and customers should be able to pay thousands for a ticket if that’s the value they place on the experience.
Take D’Souza and his World Cup tickets. He says he paid $2,500 each, even though he felt it was steep.
“But honestly, you’re paying for the experience, right? Something that might not happen again in Toronto in our lifetime,” D’Souza said.
But Bednar says there’s a loud contingent of customers complaining that philosophy “creates a fundamentally inaccessible experience for fans.”
“And it’s changing society, right?” he said. “If we’re viewing major cultural events, major sporting events, as a luxury good that is only available to the highest bidder, then I think that really says something.”
It’s an issue Ford, backpedalling from 2019, said this year he would like to review. The change of heart came after World Series tickets in Toronto sold out almost immediately, only for resale tickets to pop up for sale shortly after, well above face value.
“My personal opinion … they’re gouging the people,” Ford said in October. “We have one player in the market that controls the tickets, that’s not right for the people.”
Both Ontario’s NDP and Liberals have urged Ford’s government to take action.
Ontario NDP propose ban on ticket resales above face value
The province could look elsewhere for possible solutions. In Quebec, the government has proposed new legislation to protect consumers. Under the bill, resale prices there could not exceed the official seller’s original price unless explicitly authorized by the event’s producer.
The United Kingdom has also proposed a ban on reselling tickets above face value.
A spokesperson for Ontario’s Ministry of Public and Business Services said in a statement the province is looking at “potential issues regarding ticket sales.”
“[I]f the scope of that issue can only be solved by legislation, we will explore what our options are at that time,” said spokesperson Joey Wu in an email, adding anyone concerned Ontario’s Consumer Protection Act is being broken should file a complaint with the ministry.
So how does one get World Cup tickets? It’s a bit complicated.
Fans can register with FIFA online for the chance to buy hospitality tickets, like D’Souza did, which include food and drink. There’s also FIFA’s random selection draw, which fans can register for before Jan. 13. Those selected will be notified in February, and their credit cards will automatically be charged.
After that, FIFA will sell whatever’s left, first-come, first-serve.
FIFA recently slashed the cost of a select number of tickets to each game after soccer fans around the world cried foul about exorbitant prices. But those are limited and will be given out by national soccer federations.
FIFA also has its own resale and exchange marketplace, but charges a 15 per cent fee on those transactions.
