July 16 – FIFA has announced that ticket applications for the 2026 World Cup in North America will open on 10 September 2025, marking the start of what is expected to be a complex and heavily commercialised sales process for the expanded 48-team tournament.
The announcement was paired with a push for fans to register early and create a FIFA ID in preparation for the first sales window, which is expected to be a busy one.
The tournament kicks off on 11 June 2026 in Mexico City, with the final scheduled for 19 July in New Jersey – also the venue for last weekend’s FIFA Club World Cup final.
That tournament, which FIFA still insists was a resounding success, has already provided a cautionary tale. The Club World Cup’s ticket sales were marred by empty seats, inflated prices, and fluctuating local interest. While FIFA claimed 2.5 million fans attended across 11 US cities, the optics often told a different story – with swathes of empty sections even for marquee fixtures.
The World Cup, FIFA’s crown jewel, will be a different beast in terms of scale. With 6.5 million tickets expected to be made available for 104 matches across Canada, Mexico, and the US, the governing body is billing the 2026 edition as the “biggest and greatest sporting event ever.”
Fans, however, may approach this ticket launch with some scepticism. FIFA’s emphasis on phased sales, multiple ticket categories, and its increasingly paywalled ecosystem – now heavily integrated with hospitality products – raises questions about accessibility and transparency. With Visa locked in as the “preferred way to pay”, and high-end hospitality packages already on sale, there’s little doubt that the corporate sales machine is humming at full volume.
FIFA’s warning against purchasing tickets from unofficial sources comes with a side of irony, given that its own official channels have struggled with clarity and consumer confidence in the past. Just a brief glance back the Club World Cup would see tickets that were once listed for hundreds of dollars being handed out for pennies on the day of the game in a bid to fill seats.
If the Club World Cup is anything to go by, fans would be wise to stay sharp. As ever with FIFA, the big sell has begun – but whether it delivers a fan-first experience or another exercise in commercial theatre remains to be seen.
Contact the writer of this story, Harry Ewing, at moc.l1754405899labto1754405899ofdlr1754405899owedi1754405899sni@g1754405899niwe.1754405899yrrah1754405899