The long wait to buy 2026 Men’s World Cup tickets is almost over. Starting on Wednesday, fans can sign up for the first official phase of sales by registering interest for the Visa presale lottery. Those who are selected will then be informed on Sept. 29 that they can buy tickets, which doesn’t actually guarantee that you’ll be able to buy them.
Here’s how it will actually work:
- First, you’ll need to sign up for a FIFA ID, which you can do now by registering here.
- Starting at 8 AM, you can then register for the lottery as long as you have a Visa credit card. You don't need to rush, though, as you'll have until Sept. 19 to sign up and it does not look like there's any benefit to signing up early.
- If you're selected, you'll be notified on Sept. 29 and be given a date and time window that will tell you when you can actually purchase tickets.
- Although tickets to all 104 matches are supposed to be made available, every ticket will not be released in this phase and even lottery winners won't be guaranteed tickets.
If you aren't selected (or don't have a Visa card), there will be two more ticket releases. The first will likely occur in late October with a purchase window in late November or December and then another after the final draw, where fans will actually be able to select games involving specific teams and locations.
Tickets are supposed to be available for as little as $60, but similar to the Club World Cup FIFA is using "dynamic pricing" so it's totally unclear how many tickets will actually be available at that price point. FIFA has also been running a blockchain-based program that is supposed to give "token" holders early access, but even they have had trouble getting assurances they'll be able to buy the cheaper ticket tiers.
