FIFA releases new batch of World Cup tickets as USMNT opener sales lag

FIFA has announced it is releasing a new batch of tickets for all 104 games of the 2026 World Cup on Wednesday, April 22 starting at 11 a.m. ET. Tickets will be available across Categories 1 to 3 and the "front-row seat" category, a new classification that had been unannounced prior to the opening of the last-minute sales phase on April 1. The new category sparked plenty of fan anger, with many having previously purchased Category 1 tickets under the impression they were the best seats available. Wednesday's release is part of the last-minute phase, which sees fans able to buy World Cup tickets on a first-come, first-served basis at FIFA.com/tickets. FIFA has been releasing tickets on a rolling basis since the last-minute phase began. A FIFA spokesperson did not respond to questions over how many extra tickets would be released on Wednesday in comparison to the rest of the month. Tickets have also been available through third-party resellers such as StubHub and SeatGeek. FIFA also has its own resale marketplace, which it says guarantees fans a secure environment to buy and sell tickets. Wednesday marked 50 days until the kickoff of the World Cup, which will run from June 11 to July 19 in the United States, Mexico and Canada. According to FIFA, more than five million tickets have already been sold for the tournament as of Wednesday. Ticket sales have been brisk, but this week The Athletic reported that one game in particular is lagging behind. The U.S. men's national team opener against Paraguay was one of the most expensive games at the tournament when FIFA opened the last-minute sales phase. Partially due to those inflated prices, there were only 40,934 tickets sold for the June 12 match at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles as of April 10. For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA lists the stadium’s capacity at 69,650. For comparison, 50,661 tickets had been sold for Iran-New Zealand match three days later at the same stadium. When is the 2026 World Cup? The World Cup gets underway on June 11 as Mexico hosts South Africa at the Estadio Banorte in Mexico City. The tournament will run all the way through July 19, when the final will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. This year's tournament will be the biggest in history, featuring 48 teams for the first time. The 104 games will be spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada, with the U.S. hosting 78 matches. The host cities for the 2026 World Cup are as follows: