The 2026 World Cup is going to be spectacular thanks to a new format. For the first time ever, 48 participants will be on the tournament and three countries were selected as hosts: United States, Canada and Mexico. Argentina and Lionel Messi will arrive as defending champions.
So, Concacaf gets the World Cup for the first time in more than three decades with amazing cities ready to organize the event: Atlanta, Houston, Boston, Dallas, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Vancouver, Toronto, Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City.
After Qatar 2022, the World Cup calendar comes back to its traditional summer slot. So, we're just three years away from the most important event in soccer. Read here to find out when tickets go on sale.
When will World Cup 2026 tickets go on sale?
The process of buying tickets to be in the World Cup isn't easy for millions of fans. Though there are some official travel agencies which sell the tickets as part of packages, people want to know how to do it on their own.
The safest and most common mechanism to buy tickets for the World Cup is the official website of FIFA. When the sales phases start, in a date yet to be announced, it's time to prepare.
For the Qatar 2022 World Cup, there were three sales phases and the process should be similar for 2026. The first phase had a Random Selection Draw and a First Come First Served sales period. It happened almost a year before the tournament.
So, in this first sales phase, fans would fill an application to enter the draw. It doesn't matter the date or time when you do it as long as the form is sent within the time frame. Then, luck determines who get the chane to buy those first tickets.
After that, FIFA opened a period of First Come First Served. If you want to be in the 2026 World Cup, there's going to be a specific date announced and you'll have to be ready for a massive online wait to enter the system. If you're there, you'll have a chance to buy the tickets directly from the source. No intermediaries.
Then, in the example of Qatar 2022, FIFA opened a second sales phase seven months prior to the tournament. It was the same scheme as Sales Phase 1. First, a Random Selection Draw followed by a First Come First Served sales (this one four months prior to the event).
The third and final one is the Last-Minute Sales Phase. This one occurred two months before the start of the World Cup all the way to the kick-off. In this sales phase, all the remaining tickets are available on a First Come First Served basis. No more draws. The problem is that, so late in the process, there are very few tickets remaining. However, anyhting can happen.
So, using this example of Qatar 2022 (similar to the last editions), tickets for the 2026 World Cup should be available approximately a year prior to the start of the tournament. Check constantly the FIFA website to be updated. Of course, the other option is to buy packages from official and authorized travel agencies. They should offer them also a year before.
