The encyclopedia · Advertising & PR · Marketing decision · 2026
DAZN's ¥980 World Cup price hid a ¥26,340 annual contract — refunds followed
¥980/month in big type, a no-exit ¥26,340 annual contract beneath: DAZN apologised and opened refunds after Japan called the World Cup plan a dark pattern.
DAZN · 2026-06-18
What happened
DAZN holds the Japanese rights to the FIFA World Cup 2026 and sold a dedicated 'DAZN Soccer' plan. Its marketing put ¥980/month in large type. The catch: the offer was an annual contract of ¥26,340 with no mid-term cancellation, and the displayed monthly price applied only to the entry point — users who thought they had bought a ¥980 monthly subscription found the full annual bill.
On 12 June 2026 ITmedia analysed two dark patterns in the signup flow: the oversized ¥980 emphasis against the fine-print annual commitment, and a cancellation path that could not be completed in self-service. Nikkei Cross Trend followed with a warning about the pricing trap. Complaints multiplied on SNS as the first bills landed.
On 18 June 2026 DAZN apologised on its official channels, acknowledging the pricing display caused confusion and the cancellation process was insufficient, and announced individual refunds and penalty-free cancellations for affected users, with UI fixes to show annual totals and simplify exits.
Why it happened
- The headline price and the billing reality were different products: ¥980 sold the signup, ¥26,340 arrived with the contract, and no-exit terms turned the gap into a trap.
- Cancellation could not be completed without contacting support — the exit friction confirmed users' suspicion that the confusion was load-bearing.
- World Cup demand is one-shot: fans subscribe for a tournament, so the annual lock-in was pointed directly at the least repeatable customers.
The lesson
The price you display is the promise you make: a ¥980 headline over a ¥26,340 no-exit contract reads as deception. Show the total, and let people leave.
Aftermath
DAZN's 18 June 2026 statement promised individual refunds and cancellations on request and interface changes to display annual costs plainly. In Japanese coverage the episode became the reference example of 'dark pattern' pricing during the World Cup cycle, cited alongside the platform's separate audio-sync complaints during the tournament.
Sources
- ITmedia: DAZN announces refunds and cancellations for World Cup plan after pricing-display criticism (18 June 2026)
- ITmedia: the two dark patterns in DAZN's World Cup '¥980/month' display (12 June 2026)
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