FIFA announces shocking ticket demand amid controversy

The organisation announced in a statement: “Just 24 hours after the third phase of ticket sales for the FIFA World Cup 2026 opened, demand from around the world reached extraordinary levels. Fans from over 200 countries and territories submitted five million ticket requests via the website, fuelled by excitement to witness the first-ever 48-team tournament, which will take place across Canada, Mexico and the United States from Thursday, 11 June to Sunday, 19 July 2026.”

The demand mainly comes from high-profile group-stage matches, with Portugal vs Colombia on June 27th currently the best-selling fixture. The countries with the most ticket requests are the three host nations, followed by Colombia, England, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Scotland, Germany, Australia, France and Panama. Surprisingly, fans from Central and South America have shown strong interest, as the World Cup returns to North America after 32 years.

However, this announcement comes as FIFA continues to face backlash from football fans. As reported, supporters across Europe are furious over ticket prices that have increased by at least three times. Recently, the German Football Association revealed prices for World Cup tickets ranging from $180 to $700 for group-stage matches.

Based on the current pricing, a fan would need to pay $8,111 to follow one national team through all matches - from the group stage to the final - via the Participant Member Association (PMA) allocation. According to Football Supporters Europe (FSE), this figure is five times higher than the cost of attending the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

So far, FIFA have not directly addressed the criticism. Instead, they stated at the end of their announcement: “As a not-for-profit organisation, FIFA reinvests the revenue it generates from the FIFA World Cup to fuel the growth of football [men’s, women’s and youth] throughout the 211 FIFA Member Associations globally.” However, this response may fail to ease concerns and could further fuel dissatisfaction among fans.