FIFA Reports More than 500 Million Ticket Requests for 2026 World Cup

FIFA has reported that more than half a billion ticket requests for the 2026 FIFA World Cup were submitted during the Random Selection Draw ticket sales phase, which ran from December 11, 2025 to January 13, 2026.

It comes after the association reported 150 million ticket requests a fortnight ago. At the time, it revealed that the demand was 3.4 times more than the overall number of spectators who had attended the 964 matches across all 22 editions of the competition combined since 1930.

According to FIFA, fans placed an average of 15 million ticket requests per day over the 33-day application window and applications were received from fans living in all countries and territories where its 211 Member Associations govern the game.

Apart from the host countries – Canada, Mexico and the United States – the highest number of applications came from fans residing in Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia. The most in-demand match in the sales phase was Colombia v Portugal on June 27 in Miami, followed by Mexico v Korea Republic in Guadalajara (June 18), the final in New York New Jersey (July 19), the tournament’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City (June 11), and the round-of-32 match in Toronto (July 2).
“Half a billion ticket requests in just over a month is more than demand – it’s a global statement,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “On behalf of FIFA, I would like to thank and congratulate football fans everywhere for this extraordinary response.

“Knowing how much this tournament means to people around the world, our only regret is that we cannot welcome every fan inside the stadiums. That is why we are committed to creating multiple ways for fans to be part of the FIFA World Cup 2026 – through a wide range of fan experiences beyond the stadiums, both in person and online – so that as many people as possible can share in what will be the biggest sporting event ever staged.”

Next Stage for Allocating and Purchasing Tickets

Following the closure of the Random Selection Draw application period, FIFA Ticketing will now verify that ticket requests meet the application requirements and household limits prior to allocating tickets. Tickets will then be allocated via a random selection process.

Fans will be notified of the outcome of their ticket applications by email no earlier than February 5. All successful and partially successful ticket applicants will receive communications via email before being automatically charged for their tickets.

For those fans who were unsuccessful during the Random Selection Draw phase, they will have another opportunity to purchase remaining inventory closer to the tournament, with a Last-Minute Sales phase due to open in April after the final teams have qualified through the intercontinental play-offs.

In addition, FIFA operates an official Resale/Exchange Marketplace for eligible ticket holders at this link, while hospitality packages including match tickets can still be bought from the same platform.

The World Cup will be staged June 11 through July 19 across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. It will feature 48 teams for the first time in an expanded edition, competing in 104 total matches.

Visa Situation for Fans

President Donald Trump and his administration announced on January 14 (the day after the Random Selection Draw closed) that it was indefinitely suspending immigrant visa processing from 75 countries from January 21. Sources suggest that visa applicants who may be targeted are those who officials deem likely to become a “public charge”, meaning that they may rely on government benefits for basic needs.

The list includes a number of countries whose national teams will be competing at this year’s FIFA World Cup, including Algeria, Brazil, Cape Verde, Colombia, the Ivory Coast, Colombia, Ghana, Haiti, Iran, Jordan, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, Uruguay and Uzbekistan. However, national teams from other countries on the list could still qualify for the tournament via the play-off formats.

FIFA says that a match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country, and it is encouraging fans to visit each host country’s government website for entry requirement to Canada, Mexico and the United States. A FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System was recently announced to be launching in the coming weeks to speed up visa applications for ticket holders traveling to the tournament.

The move by the Trump administration has led some figures to call for an international boycott of the tournament, citing political concerns, safety issues and human rights violations. Those calls grew louder after the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by an ICE officer in Minneapolis, Minnesota on January 7.

Last week, it was announced that mobile video content platform TikTok would become FIFA’s first Preferred Platform, enabling the site to offer more comprehensive FIFA World Cup coverage, including increased original content. The two entities previously partnered for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

Running until the end of 2026, the partnership will give official FIFA World Cup 2026 media partners (including betting firms) the ability to live-stream parts of matches, post more curated clips and access special content produced by FIFA for TikTok. Broadcasters will also be able to monetize their FIFA World Cup™ coverage through TikTok’s premium advertising solutions.

Meanwhile, FIFA and TikTok will build a creator program to provide a select group of TikTok creators with access to behind-the-scenes moments (e.g. press conferences and training sessions) to give fans fresh perspectives on the FIFA World Cup experience.

“FIFA’s goal is to share the exhilaration of the FIFA World Cup 2026 with as many fans as possible, and we can’t think of a better way to further that mission during the biggest event in sports history than to have TikTok as the tournament’s first Preferred Platform,” said FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström. “This is an innovative and creative collaboration that will connect more fans across the globe to the FIFA World Cup in unprecedented ways, bringing them behind the curtain and closer to the action than ever before.

“As football grows and evolves – uniting an increasing number of people – so should the way it is shared and promoted.”

“Football has experienced explosive global growth on TikTok over the past few years, and as FIFA‘s first-ever Preferred Platform we’re excited for fans to experience the FIFA World Cup 2026 beyond the 90 minutes, with exclusive content and unprecedented creator access,” said James Stafford, global head of content at TikTok.