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.
“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.
They also said they had separately “reached out to them about non-compliance” with 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.”
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.