Twenty-four Members of the European Parliament led by Brando Benifei, the Socialists and Democrats (S&D) group coordinator on the internal market committee, submitted written question E-001336/2026 to the European Commission on 31 March, last updated 13 April1. Benifei's question is the first time a Commission-level legislative instrument has been proposed as a remedy for World Cup ticketing.
Benifei's question is structured in three parts. First, whether FIFA's dynamic pricing and dark patterns breach Article 102 TFEU, the abuse-of-dominant-position provision, and the 2005 Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. Second, whether the Commission will prioritise enforcement before the 11 June opener. Third, whether the upcoming Digital Fairness Act, primary legislation still in draft, should include a ban on dynamic pricing for live events. DG COMP, the Commission's competition directorate, has not answered as of 19 April.
Article 102 cases against sports governing bodies sit in an unsettled area of EU law, which is why the Football Supporters Europe (FSE) and Euroconsumers complaint filed on 24 March carries uncertain legal weight. The Digital Fairness Act runs on a different track: binding future tournaments by statute rather than by case law. The 24 co-signatories give the file a visible European political constituency FIFA cannot dismiss as a single-country campaign, and Benifei's question enters the EP record for the next Digital Fairness Act debate whether DG COMP answers or not.
