Register, cross your fingers and hope: A guide to buying 2026 FIFA World Cup tickets

By Canadian Press on September 3, 2025.

How to purchase tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, co-hosted by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico:

— FIFA’s Visa pre-sale draw runs Sept. 10-19. To apply, you have to be 18 or over, have a Visa card and register your interest and create a FIFA ID at FIFA.com/tickets (which can be done now).

— After a random draw, those successful will be notified via email starting Sept. 29 and given a date and time slot to purchase tickets (subject to availability), with time slots starting from Oct. 1 to buy tickets for all 104 matches. A successful draw application does not guarantee that tickets will be available for purchase during the time slot.

— Fans will be able to buy up to four tickets for a game, with a maximum of 10 games.

— Tickets will initially start at US$60 for group-stage matches (the lowest of the four price categories) with a top price of US$6,730 for the championship game. But prices could go up depending on demand.

— The registration window for the second-phase “Early Ticket Draw” is expected to take place Oct. 27 to 31, with time-slots for purchase from mid-November to early December.

— Registration for the third-phase “Random Selection Draw” will begin shortly after the Dec. 5 tournament draw.

— Closer to the tournament, fans will be able to buy any remaining inventory on a first-come, first-served basis.

— FIFA also plans to launch an official resale platform for eligible ticket-holders.

— Fans can already purchase hospitality packages for single and multiple matches.

— Canada Soccer will run its own lottery for its allotment of tickets for Canada’s games. To take part, you have to be a member of the CanadaRed supporters group. More details on timing to come.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2025

The Canadian Press