Khaberni - Not even half of the tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches, which will feature 48 teams for the first time, have been booked, and the match schedule will not be announced until upcoming December. Except for the United States, Mexico, and Canada, which are co-hosting the World Cup, the other teams do not yet know where and when their matches in the tournament will be.
It is clear that millions of football fans around the world are unconcerned about any of these points.
The process of offering next year's World Cup tickets for sale officially began yesterday, Wednesday, and the buyers are those who were selected from among 4.5 million applicants in a draw conducted last month, to get the first official opportunity to buy tickets in the coming few days.
FIFA announced that the winners of the draw will soon be notified by email.
Unique questions are being asked of the fans before the tournament starts, especially about how to obtain visas if required to visit the United States, as the country tightens its immigration restrictions.
There are also traditional concerns such as who, when, and where? None of these questions will be answered until the group stage draw is conducted on December 5th next.
FIFA realizes that many fans will not worry about these answers, and will only want to secure their tickets now, and will figure out the rest later.
FIFA President, the Swiss Gianni Infantino, said via social media, responding to 4.5 million requests for a reservation slot that opened yesterday: "These are not just exceptional numbers, but also a strong message."
He added: "The whole world wants to be part of the biggest, most inclusive, and most exciting World Cup ever in 2026, from Canada and Mexico and the United States, to large and small countries on all continents, proving again that their passion for football truly unites them."
Fans can buy seats in one of four categories, with the first category being the best seats, and the fourth category located somewhere around the top of the tournament stadiums, with ticket prices initially ranging from $60 for group stage matches to $6730 for the final match, but are subject to change, if not certain, with the introduction of dynamic pricing for the first time in the world's biggest football event.
There are other ways to get tickets instead of spending large amounts of money, and American Airlines announced last month that loyalty program members can exchange miles for World Cup tickets, starting on October 13th for Executive Platinum members and main Concierge service members, then the next day for professional Platinum, Platinum, and Gold categories members, followed by all members on October 15th.
Starting today, Thursday, some Verizon customers will be able to get free World Cup tickets and other benefits, as part of the telecommunications giant's sponsorship of the World Cup, simply starting to offer free ticket opportunities to its customers through its app.
No one has announced the number of FIFA tickets planned to be sold during this initial period, and available tickets will not run out, as based on the attendance numbers listed in the stadiums, there are about 7.1 million seats available for the 104 matches that will be held across 16 stadiums in North America, although it is unknown how many of these seats will be offered for sale to the public.
The United States is undergoing a strict immigration crackdown, which dampens the interest of foreign visitors traveling to it, and American tourism officials have already noted a decrease in the number of foreign visitors this year, even recognizing that political dynamics may negatively affect audience attendance in some American host cities.
The situation’s ambiguity is intensified by a proposal submitted by President Donald Trump, who has a close relationship with Infantino, to change host cities if he wants to move some meetings away from locations he considers unsafe.
