The update says the tournament, staged across 16 cities including 11 in the United States, became a brutal pressure point for a resale marketplace. Baker reportedly blamed part of the disruption on ’s mobile system, calling it “just a bespoke thing for this tournament,” while also pointing to the complexity of handling 75 matches in a two-week spell.
That may explain the chaos, but it does not soften the optics. In football, trust is everything. Fans will accept high prices more readily than uncertainty. They will not accept arriving for a World Cup match without a valid ticket.
The report says lawsuits and customer complaints have widened the fallout. Cases mentioned include an order allegedly cancelled for a Mexico v Korea match and a fan reportedly left outside SoFi Stadium before a Switzerland fixture.
Baker acknowledged that some supporters had to be refunded, adding: “Even one refund... is one too many.” That is the right sentiment, but football supporters will judge the response by reliability, not remorse.
Major tournaments increasingly rely on digital delivery, app-based access and layered resale rules. That can work smoothly - until demand spikes and responsibility becomes blurred between organiser, platform and seller. Then every glitch becomes a story.
The next phase is obvious: how , resale platforms and regulators respond before the next major tournament window. Because the next ticketing controversy in football will not just be about money - it will be about whether fans still trust the route to the turnstiles.