If you are set on seeing a FIFA 2026 World Cup soccer match next year in Canada, the U.S. or Mexico, you will get your first access to tickets starting Wednesday morning.
But, it will take luck, faith, flexibility, and a certain credit card.
What is being called a ‘presale’ for Visa card holders opens at 8 a.m. PT Wednesday and will end on Sept. 19. But it’s actually entry into a lottery for a shot at buying tickets.
FIFA has said approximately one million tickets will initially be available for all 104 World Cup matches next summer.
The presale is global, open to anyone 18 or older who has registered with FIFA and holds a Visa card.
A randomized draw from the pool of entrants will be held Sept. 29 and winners will be offered a time slot in October to make their purchase online — up to four tickets per match to a maximum of 10 matches.
But there is no guarantee you will get what you want as it is subject to availability.
And what do you want?
There will be options to buy venue- or team-specific tickets, but until the schedule is finalized Dec. 5, other than the host nations, we don’t know who will play where — we don’t even know all the countries that will qualify yet.
Do you gamble on buying for your favourite team Cameroon? Are you flexible enough to travel to venues anywhere from Guadalajara to Kansas City to Toronto?
FIFA says refunds will be offered if you have bought a team-specific package and that team does not qualify.
There are also warnings that dynamic pricing means what you see listed at the outset of sales will change, depending on demand.
The cheapest group-stage tickets start at $82 and range to more than $9,000 for the championship matches. But you can expect prices to go up, even during the pre-sale.
That initial window will be followed by another “early ticket draw” in October and then two more windows in early 2026, when buyers will know who plays where.
FIFA also plans to launch its own resale platform for tickets.
Meanwhile, Canada Soccer has yet to reveal the timing of its lottery for tickets to Team Canada matches, which will be tied to its CanadaRED membership tiers.
Those range from free up to $5,000. The higher the tier, the better your chance of winning.
Host nations automatically qualify for World Cup play and Canada, U.S. and Mexico group play slots have already been scheduled.
Canada’s opening match will be June 12 in Toronto, followed by June 18 and 24 games at BC Place in Vancouver.
source&photo: CityNews
