World Cup tickets: Fifa owes fans thousands of pounds

A Mexico fan, who did not want to be named, showed us evidence that he was owed more than £8,000 for sales that all took place over 60 days ago.

“It sucks, they just seem to be fumbling around,” he said.

“I’ve had to move money to pay off my credit card.”

Some of those impacted told BBC Sport they received an email last month from Fifa requesting bank details, despite earlier correspondence saying refunds would be made automatically to their original payment card.

Fifa’s resale marketplace opened on 2 October, allowing most ticket holders to list their seats for the tournament at a price of their choosing.

The governing body takes a 15% fee from both buyer and seller.

Although the main ticket ballot only opened on 11 December, some fans who secured seats in the earlier sales phase – before the World Cup draw was made – have already resold tickets on the platform.

At the same time, many tickets are also being listed on unofficial resale sites.

Fifa has warned people against using third-party platforms, insisting its own marketplace “is designed to protect from invalid or unauthorised resale”.

Earlier this week, Fifa announced it was introducing a small number of “more affordable” $60 (£45) tickets for all 104 matches at the tournament.

This followed criticism at the price of tickets, with the World Cup final costing up to £6,615.