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December 2025 World Cup Digest
This edition covers:
Note: gmail occasionally cuts off the email version of the newsletter so if this occurs, you’ll want to click “Read Online” in the top right corner of the message.
Purchasing During Phase 2
Has it really only been one month since the last newsletter? What a whirlwind of news! Phase 2 came and went, the pre-Draw, Draw and post-Draw occurred…
So what happened in Phase 2? FIFA alleges that another 1M tickets of their roughly 6.5M ticket inventory has been sold, bringing the total to 2M. This means there is still plenty of inventory available and no, I do not understand the obsession with unofficial 3rd party resale prices at this point in time.
How did FIFA prices compare in Phase 2 vs Phase 1? You know I got you - check this link. For the most part, matches were relatively flat, especially in the Group Stage. However, there was an uptick in Host Nation matches and knockout rounds (with Vancouver reportedly seeing a 32% rise for one match 😱 - damn you, FIFA).
Phase 2 also consisted of two windows. First, a “domestic exclusive” window was a lottery of only Host Country residents to purchase matches only within their country. The second window was open to the general public and yes, some people were chosen for both while most of us were ignored in both.
Did you miss out on Phase 1 and Phase 2 Lotteries? If so, don’t worry because….
Phase 3 Opens Thursday, December 11th!
If you are unaware of the news, the next sales phase opens Thursday, December 11th. This is a massive opportunity for fans as this is first time a ticket can be purchased where the teams are known (more on this later). The process is known as “Random Draw” and is different than the two previous windows.
The quick and dirty facts:
FIFA.com/tickets Portal opens Dec 11th at 11am ET
It closes at 11am on January 13th
Fans can log in at anytime to apply for matches and # of tickets
Whether you enter immediately or January 13th at 10:59am, your chances to win are not impacted
FIFA then randomly selects “winners” from the applications
FIFA notifies the winners and charges the credit card on file
Important: only apply for what you’re comfortable with paying for because you could be awarded zero, some or all of your requests and you cannot make edits at this time.
E.g. If you apply to 5 matches, 4 tickets each, it is entirely possible you are purchasing all 20 tickets (or only 4…or…zero)
Here’s FIFA’s official announcement.
Before you ask “If we know the teams does that mean we can also pick our seats this round” - I am letting you know that no, you cannot and will not be able to pick your seats. Enjoy the chaos! 🙂
Ticket Terms of Sale
Before you take risks you didn’t know you were making, I went through and tried to pull out top bullet points of FIFA’s Terms of Sale. Give it a read so you at least understand risks, whether real or perceived.
What About Supporters Club Tickets?
Also starting Dec 11, National team fans may be eligible for PMA (Participating Member Association) supporter tickets. It seems like it is the same portal (FIFA.com/tickets), but somehow separate allocation.
So no one gets snippy and demanding, here is the exact and full list of details from FIFA:
Fans of a specific national team may also be eligible to apply for Participating Member Association (PMA) supporter tickets at FIFA.com/tickets starting 11 December, should they meet their PMA’s eligibility criteria. Each PMA sets its own criteria for fans to be recognised as PMA supporters and establishes its own process for obtaining tickets.
Bank of America Tickets
Bank of America is getting in on the sponsorship tickets.
You better read the details as this started last week and ends January 5th. I do know it involves opening one of two different cards.
American Airlines: Tickets & Flights
Shout-out to my father-in-law who sent me this information; else I would have missed it.
If you participate in their frequent flyer program, tickets are available on:
December 17: AAdvantage Executive Platinum® status and ConciergeKey® members
December 18: AAdvantage Gold® status, AAdvantage Platinum® status and AAdvantage Platinum Pro® status members
December 19: All AAdvantage® members
Additionally, they announced increased flight routes between host cities but I’ll share a couple insights below on flights as well.
Lastly with AA (they are a busy bunch), there’s 4 different ticket giveaways going on right now. See details and enter the competition via this link. The giveaways are:
Opening Match
See USA Play in Los Angeles
See a Group Stage Match of Your Choice
Watch a Match w/ a FIFA Legend (presumably not the Category 4 seats)
Look…if you happen to join these contests and win, can we agree that I’ll be your +1??
Reviewing Official FIFA Ticket Sales Phases
Phase 1 - Lottery - Visa Presale (ended)
It’s over
Phase 2 - Lottery - General Sale (ended)
It’s over
Phase 3 - Lottery - Post Draw (NOW!)
December 11th to January 13th (read above)
Phase 4 - First Come, First Serve
Later in 2026 (guessing March)
World Cup Draw
Honest truth here: I rearranged my entire day to watch the Draw but unfortunately got stuck on a call and I forgot that I no longer have a package that carried the draw. I followed along online.
I understand the need to make a show of it but it sounded like a horror show unfolding in real time. In what hopefully isn’t foreshadowing the future with logistical operations of the tournament, it also sounded like the media in attendance had a ‘mare with traffic and security (yes, I am aware DC is not a host).
In the end, groups were drawn and the overall schedule was updated. After a second show on Saturday, of course.
One interesting twist this year is FIFA separated the Top 4 ranked teams and put them in opposite ends of the bracket to ensure they cannot meet earlier than the semi-finals. This means Spain, France, England and Argentina can all make it to the Final 4 (wait…did FIFA…) without facing one another sooner.
If you want to see the World Cup schedule breakdown by Host City, here you go.
If you want to see the World Cup schedule breakdown by Group, here you go.
FIFA PASS + Canadian Visa
It was also announced that there is a push to process visas faster for those with tickets.
FIFA PASS is a new service that gives every fan who buys a World Cup ticket the opportunity to schedule a prioritized visa interview.
Most importantly, no - it does not mean that there are special visas or that a ticket counts as a visa. It is simply saying you can somehow schedule an interview at a higher priority than previously.
I also posted on my instagram account about it.
Canada also created a 2026-specific page to educate its interested visitors.
Qualifying Updates
I promise, I’ll keep this short since the Draw is complete. 2025’s last international window for qualifying was pure madness and certainly generated excitement for the tournament. My top three moments:
Ireland scoring with essentially the last touch (the slightest of toe pokes) of the match vs. Hungary to go from eliminated to UEFA playoff participant.
Scotland’s thrilling victory over Denmark to go from eliminated to winning their group and qualifying.
Haiti’s incredible qualification despite never being able to play at home. And now they play Brazil in the group stage. One of my closest friends is Haitian and two of his biggest life dreams were Haiti qualifying and watching Brazil in a World Cup. He may achieve both next June and I’m happy for him and all of Haiti.
There’s still the UEFA Playoff + Intercontinental Playoffs in March to determine the last 6 teams.
I Have Tickets, Now What?
Keeping this segment from an earlier newsletter, here’s a quick checklist:
Traveling from abroad, check on whether or not you need a visa to enter Mexico, Canada or USA. (Also, see above for USA & Canada)
You’ll want to consider Flights:
Utilize a service like Google Flights where you can go into Explore mode and view entry points into various airports.
Use a service like Going that proactively notifies you of mistake fares, sales, etc. You can use this link for 20% off.
Going is legit. I’ve saved hundreds setting alerts for personal travel.
Start planning lodging:
Inventory could be tricky while others try to capitalize on demand.
Roadtrips has 60+ hotels inventory contracted across all 16 cities so you may want to inquire. (If you do inquire, mention The World Cup Guide).
Thinking more home rental or alternative rooming?
Else, check your hotel aggregators like Hotels.com, Booking, Expedia, etc.
Ready to explore a specific city?
Host City Guides by City
Answering Reader Questions
Interested in sending a question? Hit respond directly from your inbox to send a message to submit a question. I’m summarizing & generalizing the topics here:
Do I still want to hear Fan stories from World Cup trips?
I love hearing them so feel free to send. I’m working on a longer-form story from a Q&A with one incredible fan that I’ll share in the very near future!
I have tickets, when do I select my seat?
You don’t! 🙂 FIFA assigns the seats. And this happens 1-2 months before the tournament starts, possibly a bit earlier. Sometimes you get unlucky, other times you secure front-row seats for two matches in one day (true story).
Any ideas how to purchase 5 tickets to one match as I have a family of 5?
I have no answers here. A close friend ran into this issue and discovered that even purchasing 4 tickets for “face value” + 1 ticket on FIFA resale market wouldn’t work. If anyone found a workable solution to this dilemma, let me know. Here’s FIFA’s definition of household (updated Dec 9 apparently).
Is purchasing Resale on Stubhub “safe”?
I personally don’t trust Stubhub for resale tickets as they’re ripe with scams (my personal preference); however, reports are that they’re making changes to minimize scams…also, read that Terms of Service. If you’re going secondhand marketplace, LiveFootballTickets at least has a 150% refund policy so maybe that’s looking at if you want to go rogue.
I collect ticket stubs, will the 2026 World Cup have physical tickets?
It’s all mobile. When 2022 ended, FIFA introduced a “souvenir ticket” allowing fans to submit a request for a copy of their digital tickets but in hard print form. Maybe they’ll do that again? I also think anyone wanting to track their attendance, write notes, upload photos to matches they attend, then download AC Momento app. It is (currently) free and is amazing for all sporting events.
Did you purchase tickets in Phase 1 or 2?
A friend purchased tickets for me in Phase 1. I learned during the draw that the match is for Spain vs. Saudi Arabia. I will be applying for a Round of 16 match this next phase and then ideally Brazil vs Haiti (see above) in Philly.
Aside from the obvious, do you have any recommendations for a holiday gift for the World Cup?
Cheers to those that hope to purchase World Cup tickets for loved ones for the holidays. Unfortunately, Phase 3 tickets aren’t allocated until February. My favorite gift I received for 2022 (my bday) was a huge wall bracket. It was a brilliant Wall Chart Bracket as it came with stickers of flags (helped my kids learn countries) and we updated it together. I haven’t looked yet for 2026. Also, these ornaments…it is the first time I ever saw an ornament and thought “I must have one”. Am I blind - or are these for order somewhere? Note: My wife may also advise you that taking gift ideas from me may not be advisable.
Are On Location & FIFA Still Hiring for 2026?
I’ll continue to post links for the jobs FIFA and others post. The positions refresh often:
On Location Jobs (Hospitality Vendor)
And, since a large % of readers here are American, here’s a link to open jobs with US Soccer, too.
Bonus Links
Scott McTominay bicycle kick record
You have to see this image. If you had to guess who holds the world record for highest bicycle kick, surely you’d guess McTominay, right?
Miami Airport Improvements
MIA launches the largest single deployment of automated passport screening in the U.S…good news for fans as MIA is notoriously very slow with international visitor processing.
Ronaldinho appreciation post
He’s the first player that I would try to schedule my day around to watch. I saw this instagram reel and have rewatched it so many times and wanted to share.
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