The fourth and final phase of ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup kicked off on Wednesday, the FIFA announced without specifying the number. This last-minute sales phase opened in the morning on the official FIFA.com/tickets website, as stated by the global organization in a press release.
Tickets are sold on a first-come, first-served basis until the end of the competition on July 19. Tickets will be made available gradually, including, when necessary, for matches taking place on the same day, according to FIFA.
At the designated time, buyers were directed to a waiting page to queue before accessing the site, which could lead to several hours of waiting.
A countdown will appear before buyers can access the ticket sales phase. Once the countdown is over, an “Entry” button will appear for five minutes, as per the instructions provided.
In total, over 7 million tickets are available for sale for the competition, taking into account the capacities of the 16 stadiums in the global tournament.
More than 3 million tickets have already been purchased during the first three sales phases, with over a million sold during the single random selection sales phase in January and February, which received 500 million requests, according to FIFA.
Record to Beat: The FIFA expects to break the historical record of 3.5 million tickets sold for a World Cup, set during the 1994 edition. This year, the tournament, jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will feature 48 teams and 104 matches, including 78 in the USA.
The ticketing issue has sparked controversy, with accusations against FIFA of offering tickets at exorbitant prices despite promises made when the tournament was awarded to the three host countries. European supporters’ organization (FSE) and Euroconsumers have taken legal steps against FIFA, citing opaque and unfair ticket purchase procedures.
FIFA defended the ticket prices, attributing them to high demand. However, special $60 USD tickets for official fan clubs were almost sold out before public sales began, according to FSE.
Additionally, FIFA will reopen the official ticket resale and exchange platform on Thursday, which has also faced criticism for high resale prices. FIFA clarified that they do not intervene in the resale market, where the seller determines the ticket price in Canada and the USA, while Mexico prohibits selling tickets above the purchase price.
