FIFA has announced that it has received more than half a billion requests for tickets for the 2026 World Cup during the final phase of sales, despite criticism from fans over the high prices.
Germany, after three host countries – United States of America, Mexico and Canada – generated the highest number of requests, the world football organization announced late on Wednesday.
The sales period lasted from December 11 until Tuesdayand for the first time individual tickets were available for certain matches and national teams in the group stage of the competition. Fans will be notified whether they were successful in the random drawing on February 5 at the earliest.
Those who fail to secure tickets at this stage will have a new opportunity in the second phase of saleswhich will last until the end of the tournament.
Half a billion ticket requests in just over a month it’s not just a demand, it’s a global messagesaid FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
During the sales period FIFA, in response to global protests over high prices, introduced a new category of tickets for “faithful audience“. The new category called “Fan Tickets” applies to all 48 World Cup teams and all matches to be played in Canada, Mexico and the USA from June 11th to July 19th.
However, the number of tickets at lower prices is limited. FIFA allocates 8 percent of tickets per match to fans of each participating team through their national associations, with only 10 percent of that quota going to the new ticket category.
(Fena | Photo: FIFA)
