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FIFA has launched the fourth and final phase of ticket sales for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be held from June 11 to July 19 across the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
The global football governing body announced on Wednesday that more than three million tickets are available in this final “last-minute” sales phase.
Ticket sales opened at 1500 GMT on the official website and will run until the end of the tournament on July 19.
According to FIFA, tickets are being sold on a first-come, first-served basis.
They will also be released in stages throughout the competition, including occasionally on the same day as scheduled matches.
At the start of the sale, prospective buyers were directed to a waiting page to queue for access to the ticket platform, with some facing delays that could last several hours.
In total, nearly seven million tickets are being made available for the tournament, based on the combined capacity of the 16 stadiums selected to host the event.
FIFA said more than three million tickets had already been sold during the first three sales phases, including over one million distributed during the random selection draw held in January and February.
That phase alone reportedly attracted around 500 million ticket requests.
With strong demand continuing, FIFA is expected to surpass the record of 3.5 million tickets sold during the 1994 FIFA World Cup.
The 2026 edition will also mark a major expansion of the tournament, featuring 48 teams and a total of 104 matches. Of these, 78 games will be played in the United States.
Ticketing for the tournament has, however, generated controversy. Fan organisations such as Football Supporters Europe and Euroconsumers filed a complaint with the European Commission in March, accusing FIFA of charging excessive prices and operating opaque ticket purchasing procedures.
FIFA has defended its pricing strategy, with its president Gianni Infantino attributing the costs to extremely high demand for the tournament.
The governing body also introduced a $60 ticket category reserved for official supporters’ clubs, although fan groups say most of those tickets were sold out before general sales opened.
Meanwhile, FIFA announced that its official ticket resale and exchange platform will reopen on Thursday.
The system allows fans to resell tickets, with sellers in the United States and Canada free to set their own prices.
However, Mexico has stricter regulations that prohibit the resale of tickets at prices above their original purchase price.
