Fifa World Cup: Tickets for South Africa match among most sought after

The random selection draw phase for 2026 World Cup tickets concluded Tuesday, with more than half a billion requests submitted, FIFA announced.

Some 48 team will participate in the football tournament that will take place across 16 host cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada from June 11 to July 19.

The match that received the most applications was Colombia vs. Portugal, a Group K contest scheduled for June 27 in Miami.

The Cup's opening match between Mexico and South Africa in Mexico City (Group A on June 11) received the fourth highest applications.

Others most sought after tickets included matches between Mexico vs. South Korea in Guadalajara (Group A on June 18); the World Cup final in East Rutherford, N.J., on July 19; and a round-of-32 match in Toronto (July 2).

Equal chance

During the random selection draw phase, which began on December 11, people could apply for tickets using their credit card. Every person who applied will be put into a pool from which every applicant has an equal chance of being drawn to earn the chance to purchase tickets.

Those who are unsuccessful will have the opportunity to secure their seats during the subsequent sales phases as additional tickets are made available.

Applicants will be notified of the outcome of the first draw via email no earlier than February 5, according to FIFA's news release.

The countries with the most applicants were the host nations - the United States, Mexico and Canada - with Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia among the nations outside North America with the most hopefuls.

"Half a billion ticket requests in just over a month is more than demand - it's a global statement," FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in the statement.

"On behalf of FIFA, I would like to thank and congratulate football fans everywhere for this extraordinary response."