SAT DEC 13 2025-theGBJournal| Just 24 hours after the third phase of ticket sales for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ opened, demand from around the world reached extraordinary levels, says FIFA.
FIFA said the requests came from fans from over 200 countries and territories, fueled by excitement to witness the first-ever 48-team tournament, which will take place across Canada, Mexico and the United States from Thursday, 11 June to Sunday, 19 July 2026.
The early figures point to a strong appetite for standout group-stage encounters, with Colombia v Portugal (Miami, 27 June) emerging as the most sought-after match during the Random Selection Draw period so far.
Brazil v Morocco (New York New Jersey, 13 June), Mexico v Korea Republic (Guadalajara, 18 June), Ecuador v Germany (New York New Jersey, 25 June), and Scotland v Brazil (Miami, 24 June) round out the top five matches – involving nine teams from five different continents.
After 24 hours, the three host nations lead the way, with the subsequent top ten countries of residence for ticket requests being Colombia, England, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Scotland, Germany, Australia, France and Panama.
The strong presence of South American neighbours Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil and Argentina, as well as Central Americans from Panama, further demonstrates how the FIFA World Cup 2026 is capturing the imagination across the Americas.
Scotland’s appearance in the top ten reflects fans’ excitement at seeing the team on the global stage again for the first time in 28 years, adding to the growing expectation that football will unite the world in North America in six months’ time.
The Random Selection Draw ticketing phase remains open until Tuesday, 13 January 2026 at 11:00 ET (17:00 CET), and the timing of a ticket request within this window does not affect the chances of success.
According to FIFA, throughout this sales phase, fans will be able to select which match(es), respective ticket category(ies), and number of tickets per match they would like to purchase, subject to household restrictions.
”Fans who would like to immediately purchase access to specific match-ups and are looking for a premium, elevated matchday experience can purchase hospitality packages, which include match tickets, at FIFA.com/hospitality through On Location, the Official Hospitality Provider of the FIFA World Cup 2026™,” FIFA advised.
As a not-for-profit organisation, FIFA reinvests the revenue it generates from the FIFA World Cup to fuel the growth of football (men’s, women’s and youth) throughout the 211 FIFA Member Associations globally.
FIFA says it expects to reinvest over 90% of its budgeted investments for the 2023–2026 cycle back into the game, with the aim of significantly boosting the development of football around the world.
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