FIFA requests for World Cup tickets passes 500M
CORAL GABLES, Fla. -- FIFA said Wednesday it has received more than 500 million ticket requests for this year's World Cup.
Soccer's organizing body said outside the host United States, Mexico and Canada, the most requests were made by fans residing in Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia.
FIFA is asking for up to $8,680 per ticket. After criticism, FIFA said last month it will offer $60 tickets for every game to the 48 national federations in the tournament, and the federations will decide how to distribute them to their fans who attended their previous games.
It said the most-requested match in the third sales phase, which ran from Dec. 11 through Tuesday, was Colombia vs. Portugal on June 27 at Miami Gardens, Florida; followed by Mexico vs. South Korea on June 18 in Guadalajara, Mexico; the final on July 19 at East Rutherford, New Jersey; the opener between Mexico and South Africa on June 11 at Mexico City; and a second-round match on July 2 at Toronto.
"Knowing how much this tournament means to people around the world, our only regret is that we cannot welcome every fan inside the stadiums," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement. "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."
FIFA said it will notify people about their ticket applications no earlier than Feb. 5 and will allocate them randomly for matches in which demand exceeds availability.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
