The Ford government says it has reached out to FIFA about “ongoing non-compliance” with its strict new legal changes to curb ticket scalping as the soccer giant prepares to host six matches in Toronto.
A spokesperson for Minister of Public and Business Service Delivery and Procurement Stephen Crawford suggested his ministry had warned FIFA over its current resale strategy, which they believe breaks the new rules.
“As a primary seller, FIFA is permitted to set ticket prices at its discretion,” they told Global News.
“However, if tickets are resold on their platform above face value, those sales are subject to our government’s ticket resale rules and enforcement framework.”
As part of its budget, the Ford government made it illegal to resell tickets for more than their original value.
Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, FIFA set up its own ticket resale platform, where people could relist their seats at any price. After the Ontario law changed, it briefly removed those listings and put them online again.
The government indicated that, in some cases, it believed FIFA had taken down unsold tickets and put them back up at higher prices — something that would be allowed under the new rule.
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They also said they had separately written to FIFA about breaking the new resale conditions.
“I’ll leave that to the registrar,” Crawford said when asked about the non-compliance. “But they are aware of companies and they’ve sent notices to companies that may not be in compliance.”
Global News sent multiple questions to FIFA over several days, but did not receive a response ahead of publication.
Opposition leaders said the government should be handing out fines if FIFA is breaking ticketing rules ahead of the World Cup rather than warning them.
“The law is only as strong as the ability to enforce it,” Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles said. “If the government does not have the tools to enforce these things, then you know it’s really a weak law, and it’s not going to protect the people of Ontario.”
Ontario Liberal interim leader John Fraser said the ticket resale law was “all show,” but wasn’t being effectively implemented.
The Ontario ticket resale law is complicated by local jurisdiction in a World Cup being held across North America.
The recent changes mean it is illegal to resell tickets in Ontario for more than face value, yet it is allowed in other Canadian provinces, the United States and in Mexico.
Since the law was proposed, FIFA has not addressed questions from Global News about whether it would comply with it and how it would handle the geographical quirks of the system.
Six FIFA World Cup matches will be held in Toronto between June 12 and July 2, including one knock-out.
The first game will be a high-demand match-up between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina at Toronto Stadium, the name given to BMO Field during the competition.
The city will also host matches featuring countries like Germany, Senegal and Croatia.
Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport Stan Cho said FIFA “must follow the rules,” but highlighted that they can set “whatever price they want” for unsold tickets.
Asked if there was more urgency in tackling FIFA tickets, given the event will only run for a few weeks, Crawford said he was treating all non-compliant resellers as the same priority.
“They’re all important — it doesn’t matter which company,” Crawford said. “We want to make sure that they are in compliance with the law.
“We put this legislation through for a reason to make tickets more affordable for the people of Ontario.”
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