The FIFA World Cup Trophy at the official award ceremony after the final match between France and Croatia at FIFA World Cup Russia 2018 at Luzhniki Stadium; France won 4-2. Denis Tyrin/TASS (Photo by Denis TyrinTASS via Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, Texas - The 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in about eight months, bringing several matches to North Texas.
With that comes the threat of scams, including everything from tickets to merchandise.
World Cup scams
AT&T Stadium will be home to nine matches when the World Cup comes to North Texas. Some sales have already started for tickets to the upcoming matches.
The most secure place to get tickets for the event is through the FIFA World Cup's official website.
FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets go on sale today. Here's how you can get them
The soccer tournament begins next year and features 104 matches, and this is how fans can get tickets.
‘Fake tickets are out there’
What they're saying:
"The Better Business Bureau is really wanting to be proactive and warn consumers fake tickets are out there, and they are pretty prevalent. We've seen this with every big-ticketed event," said Monica Horton with the BBB.
"Sometimes consumers don't realize that they're on a third-party ticket reseller because they can create very authentic-looking websites," Horton continued.
"Definitely be wary of any social media ads that pop up saying that there are tickets available. You want to check it out. Definitely do your research and know who you are purchasing from," Horton said.
DART gets FEMA security grant ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup
FIFA officials also met with Dallas Area Rapid Transit leadership during the Red River Rivalry game to see how the DART system handles special events with a surge in riders.
'Start with the venue'
What you can do:
The BBB advises that it's best to start your ticket purchase with Arlington's AT&T Sadium.
"It will direct you to the appropriate site to purchase, so BBB's advice is start with the venue," Horton said.
Every time there is an event like this, there's also lots of knock-offs being sold as the real thing. Before you buy a jersey to represent your World Cup country, Horton says to stop at www.bbb.org.
Over 1 million FIFA World Cup tickets sold; US fans lead demand
Ticket fever is real! Over one million FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets were snapped up in the first sales window, with demand led by fans in the U.S.
"We encourage consumers, before you plug in any payment details online on any website, check with the Better Business Bureau and see what we have to say about any website or company. Because if we've had consumers report bad experiences to us, that information is publicly available, and we would like that information to prevent others from having the same bad experience," Horton said.
"Plan your ticket and plan your travel in advance so you do have time to do the proper research before you enter any payment details," Horton said.
And Horton says if you can pay with a credit card, which provides some protection for your spending against scams.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the Better Business Bureau.