The initial sales period for the 2026 FIFA World Cup commenced on April 2, offering fans their first opportunity to acquire tickets once all participating teams for the competition had been verified.
Organizers stated that nearly 3.2 million admission passes were sold for the previous championship in Qatar, generating $686 million in income.
Tickets for the championship are anticipated to be immensely sought-after again, featuring 104 international matches across 16 cities between June 11 and July 19, 2026.
101GreatGoals.com elucidates the method for purchasing World Cup 2026 tickets, including how to utilize the resale marketplace.
FIFA World Cup Tickets 2026: Purchasing Guide
FIFA has indicated that the reopened application window will remain accessible even after the tournament begins in June.
Admission passes are obtainable directly from the official World Cup website.
FIFA World Cup Tickets: Secondary Market
Inhabitants of most nations are authorized to resell their tickets, while Mexican residents have the alternative to exchange them.
The event organizers collect a 15% fee from both the purchaser and the vendor, according to ESPN’s report.
PMA Late Qualifier Supporter Sales Phase for World Cup Tickets
FIFA refers to this stage as the last-minute sales phase; however, some supporters were puzzled to discover they had entered the PMA late qualifier supporters sales phase when the window initially became available again.
These particular tickets are designated for a segment of fans associated with the final six nations that secured qualification for the competition.
Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czechia, Sweden, Turkiye, Iraq, and DR Congo all secured their berths two days prior to the window’s reopening.
FIFA World Cup Tickets: Pricing and Expenses
When initial sales commenced, FIFA announced that the most affordable tickets would begin at $60, equating to approximately 51 euros or £44, and the priciest tickets for the final would start at $6,730, which is around 5,730 euros or £5,760.
There exist four distinct categories of tickets, in addition to accessibility provisions.
During the month-long sales period following the draw for the finals on December 5, ticket costs ranged from $140 (£106 or 121 euros) to $8,680 (£6,556 or 7,516 euros), as per ESPN’s report.
FIFA addressed complaints regarding those prices by explaining that $60 tickets would be made available to participating national federations for their most devoted followers, which the outlet specified would be between 400 and 700 per squad for each game.
On the inaugural day of open sales, 35 of the 72 group stage encounters were listed with available tickets, BBC Sport conveyed.
The publication detailed a six-hour and 14-minute wait to gain entry to the ticket portal and noted that the typical cost of tickets observed was $358 (£271 or 310 euros).
The report highlighted that ticket costs for the World Cup final escalated by up to 38% from the December release, describing a price of up to $10,990 (£8,333 or 9,520 euros) to attend the final as “the most exorbitant general admission ever for a football match.”
FIFA World Cup 2026 Tickets: Available Choices
When sales initiated in September 2025, FIFA confirmed that individual match tickets would be obtainable in every classification for each game across all sales stages.
Venue-specific ticket packages represent a collection of multiple tickets that include one admission pass for several matches scheduled at a particular stadium; fans are advised to examine the list of games before making a purchase.
These bundles encompass all group stage matches at the designated venue, along with the first knockout stage match at that stadium – either a round of 32 or round of 16 game – where applicable, with the exception of Guadalajara.
Venue-specific tickets do not cover the inaugural match in each host nation or games from the quarter-finals onward.
Team-specific bundles offer one ticket to each of the selected team’s three group stage fixtures but do not incorporate any knockout stage encounters.
When is the 2026 World Cup? Verified Matches, Schedule, Dates
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will mark the first iteration of the tournament to showcase 48 teams and be hosted across three nations.
You can view the complete groups, fixtures, and timetable here.
While the Qatar edition occurred in November and December, the 2026 tournament will revert to the customary period in which the World Cup has been held since its inception in 1930.
The inaugural match is slated for Thursday, June 11, with the group stage continuing until June 27. The round of 32 will commence on June 29 and conclude on July 3, followed by last-16 matches between July 4 and July 7.
The quarter-finals are scheduled to take place between July 9 and July 11, and the ultimate victor will be determined by semi-finals on July 14 and 15. A third-place decider occurs on July 18.
Argentina will aspire to defend the championship they clinched in 2022, defeating France on penalties in the final in a contest featuring a Kylian Mbappe hat-trick for Les Bleus and two Lionel Messi goals for the victors.
Where Will the 2026 World Cup Be Held?
A total of 16 venues will host games, welcoming teams from qualifying groups spanning Asia, Africa, South America, Oceania, Europe, North and Central America, and the Caribbean.
The 11 host cities include Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Miami, Boston, and New York New Jersey, where the final match will be contested.
Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium will be the setting for the opening match. The Mexican host cities will be Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City, and the Canadian venues are Vancouver and Toronto.
2026 World Cup Structure
The preliminary stage has been expanded from 16 groups of three teams to 12 groups of four nations, thereby increasing the number of games for countries progressing all the way from seven to eight matches.
The top two squads from each group and the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the round of 32.