FIFA announces ticket sales plan for 2026 World Cup

FIFA has announced that the application period for the first ticket draw for next year’s World Cup will open on 10 September, encouraging fans to register their interest through the official FIFA website.

“Following the incredible success of the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States, excitement is reaching new heights for the FIFA World Cup 26,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming the world back to North America, as Canada, Mexico, and the United States host what will be the biggest and greatest sporting event ever. We encourage fans everywhere to get ready to secure their place – these will be the most coveted seats in world sport.”

The historic 2026 tournament will kick off on 11 June 2026, in Mexico City, with the final set for 19 July in New York New Jersey, which hosted the Club World Cup final last Sunday. The flagship club competition featured 32 of the world’s best club sides and attracted close to 2.5 million fans to 11 US cities. FIFA anticipates that up to 6.5 million fans will attend the 2026 edition of the World Cup, which will feature 48 teams for the first time ever.

The expanded global showpiece will have 104 matches across the three host countries, up from the 64 games that were last played in the 2022 edition in Qatar.

FIFA has explained that due to anticipated high demand, tickets will be released in phases, starting on 10 September 2025. Full details on subsequent phases will be released in due course.

The Final Draw for the World Cup will take place in December 2025, with teams assigned to specific match schedule fixtures, including venues and kick-off times, shortly thereafter.

Meanwhile, hospitality packages, inclusive of match tickets, are available on the FIFA website, where fans have the option of purchasing packages to follow their favorite teams, should they qualify.

While host nations – USA, Canada, and Mexico, secured their automatic slots in the finals, Japan, Iran, Jordan, South Korea, Uzbekistan, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador and New Zealand have already navigated the qualification rounds to book their spots.

With 13 spots already secured, 35 are still up for grabs with countries currently involved in qualification contests across the different confederations.