Latest phase of World Cup tickets sales allow fans to apply for matches

By JAMES ROBSON, AP Soccer Writer

Soccer fans were able to apply for tickets to watch specific matches at next year’s World Cup for the first time on Thursday as FIFA opened up its latest phase of sales.

Following last week’s draw for the 2026 tournament, which will be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, an updated schedule has been published.

That means fans know when and where the likes of Lionel Messi and Argentina will play. Previous ticket ballots were blind as the qualification period had not even been completed and the draw was yet to take place.

Now participating nations have been placed in groups, with their paths through the tournament determined. For instance, Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo could go on to meet in the quarterfinals in Kansas City if both Argentina and Portugal top their respective groups.

Not that fans are guaranteed to get tickets to the games they apply for.

The third phase of ticket sales is called the “Random Selection Draw” and fans will be informed if they have been successful in the latest lottery.

How to apply for tickets in the Random Selection Draw

The draw opened Dec. 11 at 11:00 ET (1600 GMT) and closes Jan. 13, 2026.

FIFA says ticket applications can be made at any point during this window and the timing of entry will not impact the chances of success.

Fans can apply via FIFA’s website for a maximum of four tickets per household per match and a maximum of 40 tickets throughout the tournament.

Fans will need a FIFA ID to apply for tickets and can pick which matches and which pricing category they want to apply for.

There are four categories, with the best seats in Category 1, and Category 4 seats somewhere around the top of stadiums.

Successful applicants will be notified by email in February and charged automatically.

Prices

FIFA said in September that ticket prices would range initially from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the final. Those prices are subject to change and in many case likely to soar as FIFA utilizes dynamic pricing for the first time at the World Cup.

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.

Tickets for the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 are already going for in excess of $11,000 on secondary resale sites.

For this tournament FIFA has also set up its own resale platform where it charges a 15% fee based on the total resale price.

A ‘monumental betrayal’

FIFA allocates 8% of tickets to national associations for games involving their team to sell to traveling fans.

Prices for those tickets began to circulate on Thursday.

In a list published by the German soccer federation, prices ranged from $180-$700 for varying group stage games.

The lowest price for the final was $4,185 and the highest was $8,680.