OVER one million tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup have been sold, marking a major milestone ahead of the first edition of the tournament to be hosted jointly by the United States, Mexico and Canada.
In a statement issued on Thursday, world football’s governing body confirmed that fans from 212 countries and territories have secured seats since pre-sales began in mid-September, with the highest number of sales coming from the host nations, followed by England and Germany.
“What an exciting step on our journey toward 2026! As national teams across the globe compete for a place at the historic FIFA World Cup 26, I am thrilled so many football-loving fans also want to be part of this watershed event in North America,” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“It’s an incredible response, and a wonderful sign that the biggest, most inclusive FIFA World Cup in history is capturing the imagination of supporters everywhere,” he added.
Pre-sales were initially open to Visa cardholders only, in line with the company’s role as an official FIFA partner. The next sales window opens on 27 October, when individual match tickets for all 104 games will become available.
A third sales phase is scheduled to begin after the official group stage draw, which takes place in Washington on 5 December. During this phase, fans will be able to apply for specific matches based on confirmed fixtures.
The 2026 tournament will be the largest in FIFA’s history, expanding to 48 teams for the first time. It will run from 11 June to 19 July 2026, with matches spread across major cities in the three host countries. - October 17, 2025
