2026 World Cup sets new ticket record with over 150 million applications

With less than six months to go before the 2026 World Cup kicks off across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, excitement around the tournament is skyrocketing. Now that the full schedule, host cities, and group matchups are public, demand for tickets has surged to unprecedented levels.

On Monday, FIFA announced that the random‑selection ticket draw has already generated 150 million ticket requests from fans in more than 200 countries.

According to FIFA, this figure marks the highest ticket demand in World Cup history, shattering every previous record.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is oversubscribed over 30 times based on verified individual credit card numbers submitted with each ticket application. The demand also represents 3.4 times more than the overall number of spectators who have attended the 964 matches that make up all 22 editions of the competition combined since 1930,” the organization said in its statement.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino emphasized that the 2026 tournament is on track to become a historic global event, fueled by overwhelming fan interest.

“The FIFA World Cup 2026 is set to be the greatest and most inclusive show on the planet,” Infantino said. “With more than 150 million tickets already requested in only the first 15 days, making this edition 30 times oversubscribed - a true showcase of incredible demand from fans from over 200 countries. This overwhelming response from passionate fans is a true representation of how our game is loved globally - we are going to make history in North America when we bring the world together like never before in a celebration of unity and the best of football”

How Long Can Fans Request World Cup Tickets?

The third phase of ticketing—the random‑selection draw—remains open until Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at 11:00 ET, which is the final moment FIFA will accept ticket requests.

FIFA also recently announced that each national federation will offer an additional batch of fixed‑price tickets at $60 per seat for all 104 matches, making a portion of tickets more accessible to fans.

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