Next year’s World Cup is already casting its shadow. Although it is not yet clear who will play against whom, interest in tickets is immense: according to FIFA, around two million tickets have already been sold.
There is still a good six months to go before the opening match of the World Cup in Mexico, Canada, and the USA. However, this does not diminish the fans’ enthusiasm. On Wednesday, FIFA announced that almost two million tickets have already been sold. The ticket holders do not even know which games they will be able to see, as the draw for the World Cup groups, with Germany in pot 1 of the seeded national teams, will not take place until Friday, December 5, in Washington. After the draw and the publication of the match schedule the following day, it will be possible for the first time to purchase individual tickets for specific matches and teams in the group stage. Unsurprisingly, demand is highest in the three host countries. Outside the US, Canada, and Mexico, there is also particularly high interest in visiting England, Germany, Brazil, Colombia, Spain, Argentina, and France.
Expensive tickets? Apparently not a problem
There have already been two ticket sales phases. The first phase, in which only holders of a FIFA sponsor’s credit card could apply, took place from September 10 to 19. More than one million tickets were sold to fans from 212 countries. At that point, most of the participants had not even been determined yet. FIFA responded to the high demand by raising prices, which caused some anger. The second phase then took place from October 27 to 31.
And despite the increased prices, it was apparently a complete success. “Congratulations to everyone who has already secured tickets. Everyone else will have another chance on Thursday, December 11, a few days after the final draw in Washington, D.C.,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
From December 11 (5 p.m. CET) to January 13, 2026, interested parties can register on the FIFA website to purchase tickets during a third sales phase. The principle of “first come, first served” does not apply, as the time of registration will have no influence on the random draw and one’s chances of success.
A FIFA ID is required. This is a unique identifier assigned to each person who wishes to use FIFA services. According to the world governing body, this can be created at any time, regardless of whether sales phases are open or closed. A maximum of four tickets per game and a total of 40 tickets for the entire tournament can be purchased per household.