Overview
- By halfway through the current sales window, FIFA reported more than 150 million ticket requests for the 2026 tournament, far exceeding available inventory.
- This phase runs from December 11 to January 13 with single-match registrations, dynamic pricing and allocation by random draw, with another sales phase to follow.
- In response to criticism, FIFA introduced a lower-priced “basis” category, limited to roughly 10% of each team’s fan-block allocation, which itself is about 8% of a match’s tickets.
- German fan-block examples underscore scarcity: 581 basis seats vs. Curaçao, 395 vs. Ivory Coast and 632 vs. Ecuador, while fan groups say the concession is too small.
- FIFA also confirmed a new partnership with the Dubai Sports Council to stage its annual awards as the New World Football Awards from 2026, replacing The Best gala.