Final phase of FIFA World Cup ticket sales to open on April 1

The fourth and final ticket sales phase for the 2026 World Cup will open on April 1, FIFA announced on Wednesday, without specifying how many tickets will be made available.

World soccer's governing body said over one million tickets had been sold by the end of the previous release between December and February and additional tickets would be put on general sale April 1 to the end of the tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19.

The "last-minute" sales phase will then remain open through the end of the tournament, which runs from June 11 to July 19, global football's governing body said in a statement.

Final World Cup ticketing phase is first-come, first-served

Tickets will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis and be "released for sale on a rolling basis, including, on occasion, for matches taking place on the same day."

The last-minute phase is the fourth and final official ticket sales phase. During prior phases, FIFA said, more than 1 million tickets were sold out of more than 500 million requests.

Football fans line up outside the Main Ticketing Centre to try to get match tickets on Nov.18, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. File / AFP

In total, some 7 million tickets are expected to be sold, taking into account the capacities of the 16 stadiums being used for the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

The latest phase comes after FIFA P0resident Gianni Infantino proclaimed in January that the demand for tickets was the equivalent of "1,000 years of World Cups at once" and all 104 matches at the latest edition Cup would be sold out.

FIFA has faced criticism over its ticket pricing strategy for the tournament, which is co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

Fans accused FIFA of a "monumental betrayal" in December when tickets were put on general sale ranging from $140 for the cheapest group games to $8,680 for the final.

On Tuesday, Football Supporters Europe said it had joined with consumer group Euroconsumers to make a formal complaint with the European Commission over prices.

FSE has criticised the exorbitant face prices and the employment of "dynamic pricing" for the first time at a World Cup, which could see costs rise even further.

FIFA said remaining tickets would be sold on a first come first served basis. It said the latest phase would enable fans to select specific seats, while those who have already bought tickets would be able to see which seats they have been allocated from April 1.

The group claims FIFA has "abused its monopoly position to impose excessive ticket prices and opaque and unfair purchasing conditions and processes on European fans ahead of the 2026 World Cup."

FIFA has defended ticket prices, with president Gianni Infantino saying they are driven by "insane" demand.

Under pressure, FIFA created a category of $60 tickets reserved for official supporters' clubs.

According to FSE, this category was practically exhausted before sales opened to the general public.

FIFA also announced on Wednesday they will reopen the official platform for ticket resale and exchange on April 2.

The platform has also been at the center of criticism due to the prohibitive prices of tickets listed for resale, although FIFA says it does not interfere in this "fan-to-fan market" where the reseller sets the displayed price of each ticket.

Agencies