A global statement shared by FIFA suggests that half a million requests for tickets have been made from across the world for tickets for the upcoming World Cup in June.

The statement shared on the football governing body on Wednesday, January 14, mentioned that, “more than half a billion ticket requests submitted during the Random Selection Draw ticket sales phase, which ran from Thursday, 11 December 2025 to Tuesday, 13 January 2026.

FIFA said it received approximately 15 million ticket requests daily over the about a month application window, marking a new record in the history of football.

“With each application validated by unique credit card data, fans placed an average of 15 million ticket requests per day over the 33-day application window, setting a new benchmark for demand in the history of world sport”, parts of the statement said.

Out of the over 500 million ticket requests, the majority came from Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia, aside from the host countries; USA, Mexico and Canada.

It added that, “The most coveted match in this sales phase was Colombia v. Portugal on Saturday, 27 June in Miami. The top 5 was completed by Mexico v. Korea Republic in Guadalajara on Thursday, 18 June; the final in New York New Jersey on Sunday, 19 July; the tournament’s opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City on Thursday, 11 June; and the round-of-32 match in Toronto on Thursday, 2 July – highlighting the exceptional appeal of both marquee fixtures and knockout-stage encounters across all three host nations”.

Given the outstanding requests, FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his excitement and gratitude to fans all over the world for the massive response.

“Half a billion ticket requests in just over a month is more than demand – it’s a global statement. On behalf of FIFA, I would like to thank and congratulate football fans everywhere for this extraordinary response,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

He continued, "Knowing how much this tournament means to people around the world, our only regret is that we cannot welcome every fan inside the stadiums. That is why we are committed to creating multiple ways for fans to be part of the FIFA World Cup 2026, through a wide range of fan experiences beyond the stadiums, both in person and online, so that as many people as possible can share in what will be the biggest sporting event ever staged."

How FIFA will handle ticketing for the 2026 World CupFollowing the closure of the application period, FIFA says it will check if all requests meet requirements and if they do and the requests exceeds the tickets available, it will randomly issue the tickets to ensure fairness.

“Following the closure of the Random Selection Draw application period, FIFA Ticketing will verify that ticket requests meet the application requirements and household limits before allocating tickets. Once this process is concluded, and where demand exceeds available inventory, tickets will be allocated via a random selection process to ensure fairness and equal opportunity for all applicants,” the statement noted.

For fans who qualify for the tickets, they will be emailed by February 5 noting that “fans will be notified of the outcome of their ticket applications by email no earlier than 5 February. All successful and partially successful ticket applicants will receive communications via email and subsequently will be automatically charged for their tickets. A partially successful application indicates that a fan will receive the number of tickets requested for a match, but not all matches requested.”

For those who are unable to make it in the first phase of the ticketing, FIFA said, they will “have another opportunity to purchase remaining inventory closer to the tournament, when the Last-Minute Sales phase opens. During this window, which runs until the end of the tournament, tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis. Fans are reminded that FIFA.com/tickets is the official and preferred source for purchasing tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2026.”

Given the history of fans refusing to leave their home countries after gaining entry into countries hosting tournaments over the years, FIFA issued a stern warning that, “A match ticket does not guarantee admission to a host country, and fans should visit each host country’s government website today for entry requirements for Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Given the processing times involved, FIFA recommends submitting the visa application as early as possible. FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket holders travelling to the United States are eligible for the recently announced FIFA Priority Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) when it becomes available in the coming weeks.”

FIFA is asking for up to $8,680 per ticket. After criticism, FIFA said last month it would offer $60 tickets for every game to the 48 national federations in the tournament, and the federations will decide how to distribute them to their fans who attended their previous games.

US to prioritise visa appointments for 2026 FIFA World Cup ticket holders

In November last year, the White House announced that fans set to travel for the tournament to the USA will be given the FIFA Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System (Pass), given that most of the matches will be played there.

The FIFA Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System (FIFA PASS) is a special visa‑interview scheduling program created by the U.S. government and FIFA for the 2026 World Cup. It gives ticket holders priority access to U.S. visa appointments, ensuring fans can travel to matches in North America despite existing visa backlogs.

Speaking during a joint press briefing with FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the White House in Washington, D.C., on 17 November, President Donald Trump mentioned that “I’ve directed my administration to do everything within their power to make the 2026 World Cup an unprecedented success.”

Detailing how the ‘World’ will gain access into the US, the Secretary of State Marco Rubio noted that, ticket-holders for the tournament, set for next June and July in the US, Canada and Mexico, will not be automatically granted a tourist visa.

But foreign nationals with tickets to World Cup football matches could get an interview at an embassy or consulate within six to eight weeks of applying, Rubio said.

“Your ticket is not a visa; it doesn’t guarantee admission to the US. We’re going to do the same vetting as anybody else would get. The only difference here is we’re moving them up in the queue,” the Secretary noted.

At the same press briefing, FIFA President Gianni Infantino revealed that about 10 million people could come to the US to watch World Cup matches.

“With this FIFA Pass, we can make sure that those who buy a ticket, who are legitimate football fans or soccer fans, can come and attend the World Cup in the best conditions, starting from getting their visa,” he said.