World Cup tickets: What to know as FIFA begins 'last-minute' sales phase
· Yahoo Sports
The final phase of 2026 World Cup ticket sales has arrived.
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World Cup tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis for the first time starting Wednesday, April 1.
FIFA will open its "Last-Minute Sales Phase" starting at 11 a.m. ET, marking the first time that tickets will be available for purchase immediately ‒ rather than through a lottery.
The phase is opening with the full 48-team field now in place, following six playoff finals on Tuesday, March 31.
After several phases of ticket sales, which began in September 2025, the last-minute phase is the only remaining sales period and will run through the end of the tournament.
The most recent phase of ticket sales ran from Dec. 11 to Jan. 13, with FIFA saying that it received more than 500 million requests. Fans who who were successful were notified starting on Feb. 5.
Here is everything you need to know as the final phase of World Cup ticket sales begins:
How can I buy World Cup tickets?
Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis at FIFA.com/tickets starting at 11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, April 1.
For the first time, fans will be able to purchase available seats immediately rather than going through a lottery.
Fans will also be able to select specific seats for World Cup games, instead of selecting one of four categories as they have been required to do previously:
- Category 1: The highest-priced seats, located primarily in the lower tier
- Category 2: Positioned outside of Category 1 areas, available in both lower and upper tiers
- Category 3: Located outside of Category 1 and 2 areas, typically in the upper tier
- Category 4: The most affordable category, located outside of Categories 1–3, and positioned in the upper tier
Starting Wednesday, fans who purchased tickets in one of the aforementioned four categories will be able to see the exact location of their tickets for the first time.
FIFA has advised fans to check its ticket website regularly as not every open seat will be available right away. According to FIFA, "tickets will continue to be released on a rolling basis."
Will tickets be available on the resale market?
World Cup tickets will be available through a number of third-party resellers, but FIFA is encouraging fans to use its in-house resale/exchange marketplace.
According to FIFA, its marketplace "enables fans who can no longer attend matches to sell their tickets to other fans in a secure and authorized environment, safeguarding against invalid or unauthorized resale."
Of course, the marketplace will be used not just by fans who can no longer attend matches, but also those looking to make a profit on high-demand games.
The FIFA resale marketplace will open on Thursday, April 2.
When is the 2026 World Cup?
The World Cup gets underway on June 11 as Mexico hosts South Africa at the Estadio Banorte in Mexico City. The tournament will run all the way through July 19, when the final will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
This year's tournament will be the biggest in history, featuring 48 teams for the first time. The 104 games will be spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada, with the U.S. hosting 78 matches.
The host cities for the 2026 World Cup are as follows:
Canada: Toronto, Vancouver
United States: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle
Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City, Monterrey
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2026 World Cup tickets: FIFA begins 'last-minute' sales phase