Ad-Hoc Announcement/Update:
👋 Yes we’re back, back again - summarizing all the madness and vital information that was unleashed yesterday (September 03) regarding tickets, prices, phases, etc.
Only a few hours after our September 2025 Newsletter posted, a FIFA rep reportedly held a zoom call with select members of the press to release information on 2026 Ticket Procedures. And, FIFA updated news in their FAQ. We summarize all the updates below…
Sep 2025 World Cup Ticket News
This edition covers:
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What Ticketing News Did FIFA Release
FIFA released updates on:
Pricing
Categories
Resale Tickets
Maximum # of Tickets per Individual
Phases of Additional Ticket Sales
Number of Tickets Available in Phase 1
How Category 1 to Category 4 Tickets are distibuted
Types of Ticket Requests
The best article on ticketing news is Henry Bushnell’s from The Athletic.
FIFA also updated their FAQ’s which is included in the summary below…
Summary of Updates to 2026 Tickets
Again, this info is all per The Athletic Article and FIFA FAQ as of publishing Sept 04, 2025.
Key Updates
| What | Details |
|---|---|
| Total Tickets | ~6.5 million available 1 million available in Phase 1 |
| Starting Price Range | $60 - $6,730 Cheapest group stage to most expensive final ticket |
| Dynamic Pricing | Prices will change constantly based on demand Similar to concert or sports tickets |
| Ticket Limits | Up to 40 tickets per person Max 4 per match, up to 10 matches total |
| vs Qatar 2022 | CAT 1 Final is 4x more expensive Qatar final tickets maxed at $1,605 |
Sales Timeline
| Date | Phase | What Happens |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 10 | Lottery 1 Registration | Visa cardholders apply for tickets Registration of Interest |
| October | Lottery 1 Purchase | Selected winners buy tickets in assigned time slots Purchase Window |
| Late October | Lottery 2 | Open to everyone, no Visa requirement Window closes before World Cup Draw on Dec 5th |
| After Dec 5 Draw | Lottery 3 | Additional lottery for tickets Post-World Cup Draw |
| 2026 Purchases | First-Come-First-Served | Final sales phase for any remaining tickets Post-World Cup Draw |
Resale Changes
| Region | Resale Rules |
|---|---|
| USA & Canada | No price caps on FIFA's resale platform Tickets can be resold for any price |
| Mexico | Face value only on separate platform Mexican fans can only resell at original price |
FIFA expects to make over $3 billion from ticket and hospitality sales.
Ticket Categories & Options
All of this information is pulled from the FIFA FAQ’s:
Ticket Types Available
| Type | What's Included |
|---|---|
| Single Match | One specific game Available for all 104 matches, all categories |
| Team Specific | All 3 group stage matches for chosen team Does not include playoff games. Maybe this changes? |
| Venue Specific | Multiple games at one stadium Group stage + first playoff round (varies by venue) |
Seat Categories
| Category | Price Level | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Most Expensive | Lower tier, premium seats |
| 2 | High | Lower and upper tiers |
| 3 | Medium | Upper tier |
| 4 | Cheapest | Upper tier, furthest sections |
| Accessible | Varies | Designated areas for disabilities/limited mobility |
Venue Specific Package Details
What's Included
✓ All group stage games at that venue (except opening matches)
✓ First playoff round at that venue (Round of 32 or Round of 16)
What's NOT Included
✗ Opening matches in each host country
✗ Quarter-finals, semi-finals, final
✗ Guadalajara has no playoff games included
All Venue Package Details
| Venue | Games Included | Major Exclusions |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta | 5 group stage + Round of 32 | Round of 16, Semi-final |
| Boston | 5 group stage + Round of 32 | Quarter-final |
| Dallas | 5 group stage + Round of 32 | Round of 32, Round of 16, Semi-final |
| Guadalajara | 4 group stage only | No playoff games |
| Houston | 5 group stage + Round of 32 | Round of 16 |
| Kansas City | 4 group stage + Round of 32 | Quarter-final |
| Los Angeles | 4 group stage + Round of 32 | USA Opening Match, Round of 32, Quarter-final |
| Mexico City | 2 group stage + Round of 32 | Opening game, Round of 16 |
| Miami | 4 group stage + Round of 32 | Quarter-final, Bronze final |
| Monterrey | 3 group stage + Round of 32 | — |
| New York/New Jersey | 5 group stage + Round of 32 | Round of 16, Final |
| Philadelphia | 5 group stage + Round of 16 | — |
| San Francisco Bay Area | 5 group stage + Round of 32 | — |
| Seattle | 4 group stage + Round of 32 | Round of 16 |
| Toronto | 4 group stage + Round of 32 | Canada's Opening Match |
| Vancouver | 5 group stage + Round of 32 | Round of 16 |
Parting Thoughts
Good Luck & Messages
I personally felt this information was worth an ad-hoc message to summarize the updates. I am also aware that while all of us are part of this World Cup community, we are also competitors in ticket acquisition. I simultaneously wish you luck and failure. 🤗
FIFA is notorious for releasing details later than fans would expect. Stay patient as it does get frustrating at times and while I will never claim - or even try - to be the breaking news person, I will continue my due diligence to be the one-stop shop to reference pertinent World Cup news.
Lastly, I received an influx of questions yesterday. I promise I’ll get to them.
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