World Cup Scams: How to Avoid FIFA Ticket Scams Ahead of the 2026 Tournament

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to be one of the biggest sporting events in recent history, and fraudsters are already exploiting the excitement with phone calls, smishing texts and fraudulent websites designed to steal money and personal information. With a high-interest event like this and the inevitable jump in fake world cup ticket scams, it is imperative Communication Service Providers (CSPs) stay up to date with these types of scams to protect their sport-loving consumers.

FIFA Ticket Scams: Fake Failed Payment Calls

FIFA ticket scams are expected to be among the most widespread fraud tactics surrounding the tournament. Scammers are expected to use both robocalls and smishing text messages to pressure fans into acting quickly, often promoting “limited availability” tickets or urgent payment requests.

Fans must remember that 2026 World Cup tickets are digital-only and managed through FIFA’s official ticketing channels. Any offer involving screenshots, PDFs or printable paper tickets should immediately raise red flags. Likewise, unofficial resale offers, especially those circulating via unsolicited messages, should be treated with caution as potential fake ticket sellers.

Ticket Lottery Scams: False Wins and Payment Demands

In January, the FIFA-run ticket lottery closed. At TNS, we recently observed a scam call targeting a fan who entered the World Cup ticket lottery, which claimed the target had been selected for tickets, but payment had allegedly failed and immediate action was required or they’d lose out:

“You’re receiving this call regarding your FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets. Our records indicate that you have not yet completed the payment for the tickets allocated to you during the random selection draw… Please log into your FIFA ticketing account to complete the payment for your tickets. If you do not pay for your allocated tickets by the deadline…”

Ticket scams like this are effective because they sound plausible. Fans who entered the lottery may have forgotten they provided payment information, or if they remember, they assume it must have failed due to insufficient funds or bank cancellation. Those who purchased their tickets outside of the lottery may believe they missed the initial request period for payment, rushing to provide payment and secure their tickets. That is why, it is important to know that FIFA does not contact ticket lottery participants by phone or text regarding payments. Instead, legitimate notifications are sent through official channels, such as email and account updates within the official ticketing system. If a fan receives a phone call or text message claiming there is an issue with their World Cup ticket payment, they should avoid clicking links or calling numbers provided in the message and instead verifying their account directly through official channels.

CSPs can protect their subscribers from World Cup scams with advanced call authentication and spoof protection technology, to identify emerging robocalls and smishing attacks against fans of this world-wide event

TNS Call Guardian® delivers industry-leading reputation profiling to identify call spoofing and unwanted robocalls in real time, helping CSPs protect consumers from scam campaigns tied to high-profile events like the World Cup. Analyzing more than 1.9 billion call events each day and leveraging Do Not Originate (DNO), unallocated, invalid and unassigned numbers alongside STIR/SHAKEN and advanced analytics, it helps detect and stop suspicious calls or texts from reaching consumers.

TNS Branding and Call Authentication Suite enables calls to display a verified name and logo, helping organizations stand out from scam attempts by increasing trust and transparency for consumers. Branded calling helps reduce spam labeling, minimize caller ID spam label exposure and improve answer confidence by providing rich call data directly on the incoming call screen, making it easier for subscribers to distinguish legitimate outreach from potential World Cup scams.

Stay informed, share awareness of the latest scams and explore our monthly Scam of the Month updates.

John Haraburda is Product Lead for TNS Call Guardian® with specific responsibilities for TNS’ Communications Market solutions.

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