Soccer World Cup ticket sales request breaks 500 million

Ticket sales status for the 2026 FIFA World Cup?

According to a report by Reuters^¹ on the 16th, more than 500 million applications to purchase tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, have already been received. FIFA sources indicate that, aside from the three host nations, the majority of ticket applications have come from fans in countries such as Germany, the United Kingdom, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, and Colombia.

Soccer fans priced out?

Previously, despite surging global anticipation for the 2026 World Cup, a pressing practical question had already emerged: can soccer fans afford to watch matches in person? U.S. NBC News^²once raised this issue. Since the joint hosts announced the ticketing plan late last year, the high pricing has continued to draw criticism. In the current random-draw ticketing phase, official face-value tickets for some group-stage matches are priced as high as USD 700, with prices on the secondary resale market even higher. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer wrote on social media: “As someone who used to save up for England tickets, I encourage FIFA to do more to make tickets more affordable so that the World Cup doesn’t lose touch with the genuine supporters who make the game so special.”

NBC noted that for Americans accustomed to spending heavily on entertainment, high ticket prices may not come as a surprise. However, in many other countries, soccer has long been a core part of community culture. Even for a top-tier global event like the World Cup, such exorbitant prices are hard for fans around the world to accept. One England supporter lamented, “If you want to go to a match, you’d have to apply for a loan. No one would spend that much spare cash just to watch a game.”

FIFA’s President not worried

FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed full confidence in ticket sales for the Club World Cup to be held in the United States. He said that although there are currently some questions about ticket sales for the 32-team tournament, he is not concerned. Speaking while attending an event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Infantino explained that his confidence comes from the fact that in recent years, preseason tours in the United States have seen friendly matches between top clubs attract large crowds.

Infantino also spoke about the possibility of Atlanta hosting the final of a future Women’s World Cup. He joked that the 71,000 seat venue would need to add another 20,000 seats, but said the city nevertheless has the opportunity to make a strong impression. Although Infantino said he is not worried about ticket sales for the Club World Cup, he made it clear that tickets are still available. After unveiling the Club World Cup trophy and announcing a $1 million donation to children’s social programs in Atlanta, he said: “Let me do some publicity. There are still some tickets available. Visit FIFA’.com/tickets’s website, get them and enjoy the best of the best playing for this, which is something incredible.”

FIFA opened registration for the third round of the World Cup ticket lottery from December 11, 2025, to the 13th of this month. The organization said the matches currently seeing the highest demand are the Colombia vs. Portugal match scheduled for June 27, the Mexico vs. South Korea match on June 18, and the final on July 19. These matches are planned to be held in Miami Gardens, USA; Guadalajara, Mexico; and East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA, respectively.

FIFA stated that it will begin responding to ticket applications as early as February 5, and for matches where demand exceeds available seating, tickets will be allocated through a random draw.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino previously said that ticket demand for this World Cup far exceeds that of previous tournaments. On December 29, 2025, he revealed that more than 150 million ticket applications had already been received, with demand exceeding available tickets by more than 30 times.

The high pricing of tickets for this World Cup has sparked controversy before, with the most expensive tickets reportedly priced at up to USD 8,680 each. To ease fan dissatisfaction, FIFA introduced “fan entry-level” tickets on December 16, 2025, offering a limited number of USD 60 tickets for all 104 matches, to be allocated by each national team to its supporters.

Australia is among the nations with the most ticket requests for next year’s World Cup. Here is the 2026 FIFA World Cup Schedule for the Socceroos (Australia), based on the current group stage draw for Group D.