2026 World Cup Sets Record Demand at Start of Sales

FIFA has received approximately 150 million ticket applications for the 2026 World Cup within the first 15 days of sales, according to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

For comparison, during the same stage of sales for the 2018 World Cup in Russia, fans submitted around 3.5 million applications, while the 2022 tournament in Qatar saw about 17 million. Infantino noted that such a high level of interest is unprecedented in the history of the world championships.

"In nearly a hundred years, FIFA has sold a total of 44 million tickets for all World Cups combined. Now, in just two weeks, the number of applications is comparable to hosting three hundred such tournaments in a row. This is an unprecedented level of demand," the FIFA head stated.

A total of about 6 to 7 million tickets are expected to be available for the 2026 World Cup. During the first two weeks, daily demand averaged around 10 million applications. The highest number of requests came from fans in the United States, followed by Germany and the United Kingdom.

Infantino also addressed criticism from fan associations regarding high ticket prices. He explained that tournament revenues are directed toward the global development of football and the funding of national federations.

Previously, FIFA announced a special ticket category priced at $60 to make attending matches more accessible for fans of the national teams that qualify for the World Cup.