World Cup ticket drop to release seats for all matches as FIFA sales phase continues

FIFA says new ticket inventory for the 2026 World Cup will be released as part of its last-minute sales phase.

Soccer’s governing body announced Tuesday it will make more tickets available at 11 a.m. EDT Wednesday for all 104 games in Categories 1, 2 and 3 plus the new “front category” pricing it added this month.

FIFA says additional tickets will continue to be released periodically until the end of the tournament, which runs June 11-July 19 across Canada, the United States and Mexico.

The new category sparked online complaints from fans who said they thought the better seats in the categories they had bought tickets for were withheld and they were assigned less favourable locations.

FIFA in December put tickets on sale at prices ranging from $140 for Category 3 in the first round to $8,680 for the final, then raised prices to as much as $10,990 when sales reopened on April 1.

Vancouver will host seven matches, including five group-stage games, while Toronto is set to stage six.

The Canadian men’s team opens its tournament against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 in Toronto, before facing Qatar on June 18 and Switzerland on June 24 in Vancouver. Tickets for the opener were listed at $3,125 on FIFA’s ticketing platform earlier this month, while all other Canadian dates were listed as sold out.

FIFA says more than five million tickets have already been sold for the expanded 48-team tournament, which will be the largest in World Cup history.

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With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2026.