FIFA reopens final World Cup ticket sales as kickoff nears

FIFA reopened its final World Cup ticket sales phase and put new seats for all 104 matches back on the market, giving fans one last chance to buy through a first-come, first-served system that will update in real time as inventory disappears. The release came with 50 days left before kickoff, and FIFA said more than five million tickets had already been sold out of an expected total of just over six million.

The Last-Minute Sales Phase is the fourth and final official sales phase for World Cup 2026, and it is open to anyone trying to secure a place in the 48-team tournament. FIFA said the phase is being handled through FIFA.com/tickets and will continue releasing inventory until the end of the tournament on July 19, 2026. That creates a narrow but real opening for ordinary fans, especially for matches outside the highest-demand fixtures, while leaving premium games far more difficult to access without paying elevated prices.

World Cup 2026 will be the biggest edition in the competition’s history, with 104 fixtures spread across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. The opening match is scheduled for June 11 in Mexico City, and the final will be played July 19 in New York/New Jersey. FIFA says the expanded format is one reason the event is on track to become the most-attended FIFA World Cup ever staged, overtaking 1994.

The scale of demand has already been clear. Before FIFA announced its December 2025 pricing changes, the current sales period had generated 20 million ticket requests, far beyond the number of seats available. FIFA’s introduction of a $60 Supporter Entry Tier for all 104 matches, including the final, was designed to help traveling supporters follow their national teams, but fan anger has persisted over higher-priced categories and the widening gap between entry-level and premium access.

That tension extends to hospitality, where FIFA says the official program has set new revenue and sales benchmarks compared with Qatar 2022 and Brazil 2014. The message from the latest release is clear: more inventory is still coming, but the best chances remain limited to fans who move fast, accept modest matches, or are prepared to pay much more for marquee games.