More than 1 million tickets for next year’s World Cup have been sold following the conclusion of the visa pre-sale period, world football’s governing body FIFA said on Thursday (October 16).
Fans from 212 countries and territories purchased tickets during the pre-sale period for the upcoming World Cup, which began in mid-September, according to FIFA.
Residents of the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the three countries hosting the 2026 World Cup, led the demand, followed by England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, and France.
“What an exciting milestone on the road to 2026,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. “Today we celebrate surpassing the one-million-ticket mark after the Visa pre-sales, a fantastic proof that the most ambitious and inclusive FIFA World Cup ever is generating huge global excitement.”
So far, a total of 28 teams from Asia, Africa, and Europe have already qualified for this tournament. The main attraction of the upcoming World Cup is that for the first time in football history, 48 teams will play 104 matches in 16 cities across the three host countries.
According to FIFA, the first public sales phase will begin on October 27, with stadium-specific and team-specific packages also being offered to football fans, in addition to individual match tickets.
An official ticket resale platform has also been launched to ensure that fans do not face any problems.
Also Read: Massive Demand: FIFA Gets More Than 1.5 Million World Cup Ticket Applications in 24 Hours
This article includes reporting from Reuters.