CORAL GABLES, Fla. — FIFA says it has received more than 500 million ticket requests for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, underscoring unprecedented global demand for the expanded tournament.
In a statement released Wednesday, the sport’s governing body said that outside the three host countries — the United States, Mexico and Canada — the highest number of ticket requests came from fans in Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia.
High demand, high prices
FIFA is charging up to $8,680 per ticket for some matches, a pricing strategy that has drawn criticism from fans and advocacy groups. In response, FIFA announced last month that it will make $60 tickets available for every match to the tournament’s 48 participating national federations. Each federation will decide how to distribute those lower-cost tickets to supporters who attended previous games.
Most requested matches
According to FIFA, the most sought-after match during the third ticket sales phase — which ran from Dec. 11 through Tuesday — was Colombia vs. Portugal, scheduled for June 27 at Miami Gardens, Florida.
Other highly requested matches include:
- Mexico vs. South Korea on June 18 in Guadalajara, Mexico
- The World Cup final on July 19 in East Rutherford, New Jersey
- The tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa on June 11 in Mexico City
- A second-round match on July 2 in Toronto
Ticket allocation process
FIFA said applicants will be notified of their ticket status no earlier than Feb. 5. For matches where demand exceeds available seats, tickets will be allocated through a random selection process.
The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in tournament history, featuring 48 teams and matches spread across venues in Canada, the United States and Mexico.