More than 1 million tickets have already been sold for next year’s World Cup, FIFA said Thursday in its first update on numbers since the official start of sales began earlier this month. The highest demand, as would be expected, were from buyers in the U.S., Canada and Mexico — the three nations that will play host to the tournament. FIFA said people from 212 different countries and territories have already purchased, even though only 28 of the 48 spots in the field have been filled. Rounding out the top-10 countries in terms of tickets purchased already: England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Argentina and France, in order, FIFA said. The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19.
“As national teams across the globe compete for a place at the historic FIFA World Cup 26, I am thrilled so many football-loving fans also want to be part of this watershed event in North America,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a release.
He added, “It’s an incredible response, and a wonderful sign that the biggest, most inclusive FIFA World Cup in history is capturing the imagination of supporters everywhere.”
FIFA also announced that its resale site has opened — and tickets for the World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey, were available there at prices ranging from $9,538 to $57,500 per seat as of Thursday afternoon.
FIFA did not reveal any specific figures about how many tickets have been sold for certain matches or offer any breakdowns by host site. It also has not issued a grid of list prices for tickets, as it has for each previous World Cup since at least 1990.
FIFA’s announcement came after President Donald Trump said earlier this week he may consider relocating World Cup matches set to be played in suburban Boston and other locations his administration deems unsafe.
The start of ticket sales doesn’t take away from how there are unique questions for consumers heading into the tournament, particularly about how they’ll get visas, if necessary, to visit the U.S. as the country cracks down on immigration. An international friendly match between defending World Cup champion Argentina — featuring Lionel Messi — and Puerto Rico was moved from Chicago to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, because of lagging ticket sales that some believe were in response to the immigration crackdown.
The buyers who purchased the tickets in this first round of availability were selected out of 4.5 million applicants in a lottery that took place last month. The entry period for the next draw will open to fans on Oct. 27, FIFA said, noting that single-match tickets to all 104 games, along with venue- and team-specific tickets, will be released.
Based on the listed stadium attendance figures, there are roughly 7.1 million seats to fill for the 104 matches for the tournament around 16 North American venues. It is unknown how many of those seats will be available for sale to the public.
Ticket data has shown that the lowest-priced seats — set at $60 — were available for at least 40 matches. Almost all seats for the vast majority of matches were set at a much higher price. The opening match for the U.S., to be played at Inglewood, California, had prices ranging from $560 to $2,735 when sales opened. On the resale site, at least one ticket for that opening U.S. match on June 12 was listed for $61,642 on Thursday.
Fans with the option to purchase could choose seats in one of four categories; Category 1 is what FIFA officials call the best seats, Category 4 is somewhere around the tops of stadiums. Ticket costs are expected to fluctuate as soccer’s biggest event utilizes dynamic pricing for the first time.
Winners in the second phase of the ticket draw will be able to purchase from mid-November to early December. A third phase, termed a random selection draw, will start after the final draw of teams on Dec. 5 determines the World Cup schedule.
FIFA has said tickets also will be available closer to the tournament “on a first-come, first-served basis.”
Los Angeles Lakers guard — and Real Madrid fan — Luka Doncic was announced Thursday as the latest ambassador for the World Cup matches that will be played in Southern California next year.
Doncic speaks four languages, making the native of Slovenia well-suited to be part of the official group that will welcome the soccer world to the Los Angeles area.
“I’ve always been a football fan,” Doncic said. “Los Angeles is a great city full of amazing people who love to play and watch every sport. I can’t wait for the World Cup and it’s an honor to help bring people together through a sport that connects so many cultures around the globe.”
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