FIFA World Cup matches begin on June 11, 2026, and will air on FOX and FOX Sports.
Soccer fans can purchase tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup when they go on sale Wednesday.
The 39-day tournament starts June 11, 2026, and will feature 104 matches across 16 North American cities -- all of which will be broadcast on FOX and FOX Sports.
Why you should care:
FIFA World Cup ticket buyers will be those who were selected, out of 4.5 million applicants in a lottery system that happened in September, to have the first chance to buy tickets in the next few days. FIFA officials told the Associated Press that lottery winners have been or will be notified by email.
RELATED: Which teams have qualified for the 2026 World Cup?
Soccer fans can also buy seats in one of four categories: Category 1 is the best seat and Category 4 seats are near the upper levels of stadiums.
FIFA officials told the AP that fans from 216 countries and territories applied to be part of the first ticket lottery. But it's unknown how many tickets FIFA are going to sell in this first window. And given the listed stadium attendance figures, there are about 7.1 million seats to fill for the 104 matches around 16 U.S. venues, although it's unknown how many of those seats will be available for sale to the public.
By the numbers:
Ticket prices range from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the World Cup final but may change as the tournament is dynamic pricing for the first time.
If you don't want to spend a ton of money on tickets, there are other ways consumers can purchase them. In September, American Airlines announced that its AAdvantage loyalty program members can redeem miles for World Cup tickets, beginning Oct. 13 for executive platinum and concierge key members, then Oct. 14 for platinum pro, platinum and gold members, followed on Oct. 15 by all members.
And starting Oct. 2, some Verizon customers will have access to free World Cup tickets and other incentives. Verizon will drop free ticket opportunities to its customers through its app.
Why you should care:
The tournament will be played through June and July in 2026 and will begin at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City on June 11, with the final held on July 19 at MetLife Stadium, which will be called the New York New Jersey Stadium during FIFA's tournament.
Dig deeper:
The U.S., Mexico and Canada automatically qualified as host countries. Other countries in the tournament so far are defending champion Argentina, Japan, New Zealand, Iran, Uzbekistan, Jordan, South Korea, Brazil, Australia, Ecuador, Uruguay, Tunisia, Colombia, Paraguay and Morocco.
There are still 30 slots unclaimed for next year's World Cup.
FIFA said fans from 216 countries and territories applied to be part of the first ticket lottery. Nobody has said how many tickets FIFA plans to sell in this first window. Availability won't be depleted; based on the listed stadium attendance figures, there are roughly 7.1 million seats to fill for the 104 matches around 16 North American venues, though it's unknown how many of those seats will be available for sale to the public.
Big picture view:
The Associated Press reported that the 2026 World Cup will follow the same format as in recent years, just with a bigger collection of teams.
There will be 12 groups of four teams. The teams in each group play each other and the top two will advance to a knockout stage. The eight best third-place teams will also advance. The knockouts will be played from the round of 32 to the final.
Local perspective:
The United States will host games in Arlington, Texas; Atlanta; East Rutherford, New Jersey; Foxborough, Massachusetts; Houston; Inglewood, California; Kansas City, Missouri; Miami Gardens, Florida; Philadelphia, Seattle; and San Jose, California.