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FIFA received more than 500 million ticket requests for the 2026 World Cup across the USA, Mexico, and Canada, underlining unprecedented global demand for the first 48-team tournament in history.
FIFA has confirmed that it received more than 500 million ticket requests for the 2026 World Cup during the first application phase, underlining extraordinary global interest in the biggest tournament in football history.
The application window ran from December 11 to January 13, following the official draw and release of the match schedule.
According to FIFA, requests were submitted from fans in all 211 member associations, with the United States, Mexico and Canada among the top applicant countries, alongside Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia.
The most requested match in this phase was Colombia vs Portugal in Miami on June 27.
Other hugely popular fixtures included:
- Mexico vs Korea Republic in Guadalajara
- The World Cup final in New Jersey on July 19
- The opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City
- A Round of 32 match in Toronto on July 2, expected to feature either Portugal or Colombia
Demand on a historic scale
The numbers are staggering even by World Cup standards.
FIFA has already sold around two million tickets in earlier presales and is believed to have approximately four to five million tickets remaining across the 104-match tournament.
Since each application covered between one and four tickets, the 500-million-plus requests likely represent interest in well over one billion individual tickets.
High prices causing controversy
While FIFA has pointed to the massive demand as proof of the success of its pricing strategy, ticket prices have been heavily criticised, especially in North America.
Prices across all stages of the tournament are significantly higher than at previous World Cups, which has pushed some fans away and driven others toward the secondary market.
According to The Athletic, resale platforms such as StubHub and Vivid Seats are currently listing many matches well above face value, although prices could still fluctuate, especially for less attractive group-stage games.
FIFA: every application was checked
FIFA says it carried out validation checks during the application process. Each request was linked to unique credit card data and subject to household limits to prevent abuse.
Fans will start receiving notification emails from February 5. Applications will be classified as successful, partially successful or unsuccessful.
Those who miss out will get another chance during FIFA’s last-minute sales phase, when tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
FIFA has once again warned that its official ticketing platform and resale marketplace are the only authorised channels for buying tickets.
The biggest World Cup ever
The 2026 World Cup will kick off on June 11 in Mexico City and conclude on July 19 in New Jersey.
It will be the first 48-team World Cup and the largest tournament in FIFA history — and, judging by the numbers, possibly the most in-demand sporting event ever staged.