World Cups are festivals of football and having a ticket to one of the matches means being involved in one of sport’s biggest parties.
Over three million people attended the 2022 men’s World Cup, controversially awarded to the tiny Gulf nation of Qatar, including over a million international visitors.
The next edition will be unlike anything experienced before with three neighbouring countries — the United States, Canada and Mexico — co-hosting for the first time. There will also be more fixtures in 2026 than at any previous World Cup. With 48 countries qualifying for the expanded tournament, up from 32 in 2022, there will be 104 total matches, 40 more than in Qatar, with the single-elimination knockout phase adding a 32-team opening round.
Last month FIFA, the sport’s global governing body, warned fans against buying World Cup 2026 tickets from resale websites. But with priority access to ticket-inclusive hospitality packages now open, we take a look at how and when they can be purchased.
When is the next World Cup and where are the games?
The 2026 World Cup will kick off with the opening game on Thursday, June 11, at the Azteca stadium in Mexico City and the final will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, a short distance from New York City on Sunday, July 19. Canada and Mexico will stage 13 matches each while the remaining 78 will be in the United States, including six of the eight round-of-16 ties and every game from the quarter-finals on.
Each of the host nations will play their three group matches on home soil. So, that opening game at the Azteca will involve Mexico, with the next day seeing Canada begin their campaign in Toronto and the U.S. do the same in Los Angeles. There will be 16 host cities in total: 11 in the States, three in Mexico and two in Canada.
USA: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle.
Mexico: Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.
Canada: Vancouver and Toronto.
It is the first time in 32 years the tournament will be held in North America, with the U.S. having been the sole host nation in 1994.
What is the controversy around ticket sales?
FIFA has urged fans to avoid buying from “unofficial ticketing websites”. Several unauthorized resale sites, particularly in the United States and Mexico, have reportedly begun advertising speculative ticket sales for the tournament even though individual tickets will not be available until late next year.
The game’s worldwide governing body says it has the right to cancel any tickets obtained via unofficial channels.
A FIFA spokesperson said last month: “FIFA.com/tickets is FIFA’s unique official sales channel for FIFA World Cup 26 tickets, with sales expected to begin no earlier than late 2025.”
So what priority access has just opened?
A priority access window for hospitality packages has opened and will be available until Sunday, February 16 next year, with fully refundable deposit vouchers on sale from $500 (£397). Deposits cannot be transferred or resold and will be needed for each person attending. More information is available on FIFA’s FAQ page.
Once fans have bought a deposit voucher, and once the priority access window closes in February, they will then be able to explore their option during what FIFA calls a ‘conversion window’ which will allow fans to choose specific matches or to follow a particular team. The cost of the deposit voucher will count towards the overall package price.
Fans who did not pay for a priority access deposit can purchase general hospitality packages when the conversion window closes. FIFA say the official hospitality provider is a company named On Location and that it would publish a list of authorised global sales agents in “due course”.
When are general-release tickets coming?
General ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup will be released exclusively via FIFA.com/tickets after the 2025 Club World Cup concludes. The final of that expanded 32-team tournament, being hosted solely by the U.S., is scheduled for Sunday, July 13, also at MetLife Stadium.
What teams will be at the World Cup?
Aside from the three host nations, nobody knows yet. Formats vary by geographic confederation for World Cup qualification, but below you can find a breakdown of how many teams will qualify from each global region:
UEFA (Europe): 16
CAF (Africa): Nine, plus one play-off tournament spot
AFC (Asia): Eight, plus one play-off tournament spot
CONCACAF (North America, Central America and the Caribbean): Three, plus the three co-hosts and two play-off tournament spots
CONMEBOL (South America): Six, plus one play-off spot
OFC (Oceania): One, plus one play-off spot
The above allocation accounts for 46 of the 48 participating countries, with the last two spots decided by a play-off tournament involving six nations from across five regions (Europe, with the most direct qualifiers, doesn’t get a play-off place), including two teams from host confederation CONCACAF.
The two highest-seeded countries among the six, according to FIFA’s rankings, will only have to win one knockout game to qualify. The remaining four will be drawn into two semi-finals and the winners of those will face the seeded nations with a World Cup berth on the line.
(Top photo: Argentina won the previous men’s World Cup in 2022; Julian Finney/Getty Images)
