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Final World Cup ticketing phase is first-come, first-served

By Thomson Reuters Mar 25, 2026 | 4:26 PM

Fans looking for one last opportunity to get tickets to this summer’s FIFA World Cup in North America will get their chance on April ​1.

And that’s no joke.

FIFA announced Wednesday that a ‌fourth and final phase of ticket sales will take place starting at 11 a.m. ET on April 1 and will remain open through the end of the tournament.

Tickets in the “Last-Minute Sales Phase” will ‌be ​available to the general public on ⁠a first-come, first-served basis ⁠through FIFA’s official ticketing website, where fans will be able to select specific seats for various available matches or use a “book the best seat” feature.

Availability of seats ​could change frequently as tickets will be released on a rolling basis, including some same-day tickets for ⁠matches, according to FIFA.

FIFA’s official resale ⁠and exchange platform will reopen on April ​2. Initially open from October 2025 through Feb. 22, this ​marketplace is intended to prevent unauthorized or invalid ‌ticket sales as demand for tickets continues to be high, with FIFA reporting that the all-time attendance record of 3.5 million — set during the 1994 World Cup — is expected ⁠to be surpassed this summer.

The announcement comes just a day after European soccer fans lodged a formal complaint over the ⁠high cost of ‌the tickets, arguing that ticket prices are ⁠significantly higher than at any previous World ​Cup. ‌Tickets for the final at MetLife Stadium ​in New ⁠Jersey on July 19 start at $4,185 — seven times the cost of the cheapest ticket at the 2022 World Cup final in Qatar.

The 48-team World Cup opens on June 11, with matches taking place across the United States, Mexico and ​Canada.

–Field Level Media