FIFA has announced that ticket requests for the World Cup surpassed five million within the first 24 hours of the latest sales phase amid sharp criticism over pricing by supporter groups.
The governing body described the demand as “extraordinary” and stated that requests were received from 200 countries and territories. Most came from the three host nations, the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
Other countries generating high demand included Colombia, England, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Scotland, Germany, Australia, France, and Panama. Group-stage matches are among the most sought after, including Colombia vs Portugal, Brazil vs Morocco, Mexico vs South Korea, Ecuador vs Germany, and Scotland vs Brazil.
Ticket sales began on Thursday and will remain open until 13 January, after which tickets will be allocated via a lottery system. This is the first opportunity for fans to secure tickets for matches with teams already determined following the group draw last week.
Additionally, tickets are available at fixed prices for associations of participating countries, known as PMA. This comes as FIFA looks to address past criticism of dynamic pricing during earlier sales phases.
Despite this change, ticket prices have faced intense backlash from supporter groups. Football Supporters Europe (FSE) labelled the pricing a “monumental betrayal,” claiming costs are “exploitative.” Tickets are reportedly around five times more expensive than those for the 2022 World Cup held in Qatar.
