FIFA hails 5M WC ticket requests amid backlash

FIFA said Friday that it had received 5 million ticket requests in the first 24 hours of the third phase of ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup, despite widespread backlash from supporter groups to the latest prices.

World soccer's governing body said the figures showed that "demand from around the world reached extraordinary levels," as fans were able to request tickets for specific matchups for the first time following last week's draw for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Trumpeting the "excitement" of fans from over 200 countries to buy tickets for the first 48-team World Cup, FIFA signaled little sign in backing down in the face of fierce criticism when the latest prices were revealed Thursday.

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A list published by the German Football Association revealed prices ranged from $180 to $700 for varying group stage games. The lowest price for the final was $4,185, and the highest was $8,680.

The English Football Association shared pricing information with the England Supporters Travel Club (ESTC), which showed that if a fan bought a ticket for every game through to the final it would cost just over $7,000.

Fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) described the current prices as "extortionate" and called on FIFA to immediately halt ticket sales via national associations "until a solution that respects the tradition, universality, and cultural significance of the World Cup is found."

"This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is," it said in a statement.

The target from United States soccer officials when bidding for the tournament seven years ago was to offer hundreds of thousands of $21 seats across the opening phase of games. However, FIFA has implemented dynamic pricing at a World Cup for the first time following its use at this summer's Club World Cup, with prices set to fluctuate based on demand.

The last time the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994, prices ranged from $25 to $475. In Qatar in 2022, prices ranged from around $70 to $1,600 when ticket details were announced.

Through the "random selection draw," which began Thursday, fans are able to select which matches, ticket category and number of tickets for each match they wish to purchase, though there is no guarantee of successfully obtaining tickets.

The third phase of sales runs through Jan. 13, 2026, with successful applicants set be notified by email in February and charged automatically.

FIFA said the three host countries led the demand in the third phase, with strong clamor from elsewhere in the Americas. Colombia, England, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Scotland, Germany, Australia, France and Panama make up the following 10 countries with most requests for tickets.

Among the group stage contests, Colombia's clash with Portugal and Cristiano Ronaldo in Miami on June 27 attracted the most ticket requests in the first 24 hours, FIFA said. Other in-demand matches include Brazil vs. Morocco (New Jersey), Mexico vs. South Korea (Guadalajara), Ecuador vs. Germany (New Jersey) and Scotland vs. Brazil (Miami).

Despite Scotland's strong demand for ticket sales for what will be the country's first World Cup appearance since 1998, a Scottish supporters' group called the prices "disgraceful and disgusting" and urged the country's football association to make their feelings known to FIFA.

"This is going to price out many of our fans," the Association of Tartan Army Clubs (ATAC) said in a statement. "FIFA have killed the dream of our young fans, desperate to get to a World Cup.

"The SFA must stand up to FIFA, together with other associations, to get FIFA to halt this sale and reconsider the prices for our supporters."

Meanwhile, England's Football Association is set to make the discontent of its country's fans known to FIFA, according to a report Friday from the Press Association, although it is not hopeful of anything changing as a result.

FIFA closed out Friday's update by stating that, "As a not-for-profit organisation, FIFA reinvests the revenue it generates from the FIFA World Cup to fuel the growth of football [men's, women's and youth] throughout the 211 FIFA Member Associations globally."

Information from The Associated Press and PA was used in this report.