SOCCER: More than 500 million tickets requested for World Cup, says FIFA boss

VANCOUVER – FIFA President Gianni Infantino revealed that ticket demand for the 2026 World Cup has reached unprecedented levels, with over 500 million requests already logged for the expanded 48-team tournament across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

At the FIFA Congress on Thursday, Infantino highlighted the overwhelming popularity of the event: “You’ve heard, there were many discussions about the ticketing of the World Cup. We had 500 million ticket requests — 500 million ticket requests. In the last two World Cups combined, we had 50 million ticket requests. Here, 500 million.”

The FIFA President confirmed that the majority of the tickets released so far have been sold. "We’ve sold 100% of the inventory that we’ve put on the market, which is, more or less, 90% of the global inventory so far,” he said. “And of course, we are always putting tickets on the market.”

Ticketing for the tournament has been a point of contention, with concerns raised regarding the affordability and accessibility for local fans. Infantino addressed these concerns, acknowledging the presence of both expensive and affordable ticket options. “There are expensive tickets, yes, but there are also affordable tickets,” he added.

With demand continuing to surge, FIFA is expected to release tickets in phases, a strategy designed to manage demand while ensuring maximum revenue for what is set to be the most lucrative World Cup in history.

-Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Ken Ferris/Reuters