FIFA on Monday began the process of selling another million tickets for next year's World Cup, with the opening of a new ticket draw marking the start of the tournament's second phase of sales.
This sweepstakes, which runs until 11 a.m. ET Friday, includes an exclusive domestic time slot for residents of three host countries – the United States, Canada and Mexico. Fans from those countries whose entries are selected from this draw will have the opportunity to purchase single match tickets to games taking place in their home country.
The stage is open to all fans, no matter what country they live in.
“We are already seeing huge interest in this tournament from around the world, especially from the host countries as Canada, Mexico and the United States prepare to host the biggest World Cup in football,” said Heimo Shirgi, chief operating officer of the tournament.
“This second leg, with an exclusive time slot within the host country, will allow us to say ‘thank you’ to these local fans while providing global opportunities.”
Those fans in the US, Canada and Mexico who enter the draw before it closes on Friday will have a chance to receive, in what FIFA says is a randomized process, a time slot during which they can buy tickets starting on November 12th. These slots will be issued until November 15th. Fans who win these odds will be notified at least 48 hours before their time slot opens.
Residents of the three host countries – the United States, Canada and Mexico (in that order) – purchased more tickets than residents of any other country during the initial ticket sales phase. Rounding out the top ten are England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Argentina and France, in that order.
Excitement is building for the 2026 FIFA World Cup with just 10 months left until football's biggest event. Earlier today, fans got the chance to see the World Cup trophy in person in Vancouver while it was on display at Jack Poole Square. CBC News stopped by to chat with fans lined up to see the trophy.
People from 212 countries bought tickets.
Once the domestic exclusivity window ends, more fans will be eligible to purchase starting November 17th. Additional tickets will be available in subsequent stages, FIFA said.
Earlier this month, FIFA announced that more than a million tickets have already been sold for next year's World Cup, with people from 212 different countries and territories already purchasing them. Currently, 28 of the 48 team spots have been filled.
The start of ticket sales doesn't take away from the fact that consumers traveling to the tournament have unique questions, especially about how they will obtain visas, if necessary, to visit the U.S. as the country cracks down on immigration.
An international friendly match between reigning World Cup champion Argentina (featuring Lionel Messi) and Puerto Rico was moved from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, due to lagging ticket sales, which some say was caused by a crackdown on immigration.
Based on stadium attendance figures, the tournament's 104 matches across 16 venues in North America would require approximately 7.1 million seats to be filled. It is unknown how many of these seats will be available for sale to the public.
Ticket data showed that the lowest priced seats ($60) were available for at least 40 matches. Almost all seats for most matches were set at a much higher price. For the first match in the United States, to be held in Inglewood, California, prices ranged from $560 to $2,735 when sales opened. Earlier this month, at least one ticket for the June 12 U.S. opening match went for more than $60,000 on a resale site.
Fans with the option to purchase could select seats in one of four categories; Category 1 is what FIFA officials call the best seats; Category 4 is somewhere at the top of the stadiums. Ticket prices are expected to fluctuate as football's biggest event uses dynamic pricing for the first time.
