ZURICH: More than 1.5 million ticket applications from fans in 210 countries have been received by FIFA within 24 hours of the pre-sale draw for the 2026 World Cup being launched, the governing body of world football said on Thursday.

The extraordinary glo­bal demand for the tournament came primarily from the United States, Mexico and Canada, followed by Argentina, Colo­mbia, Brazil, England, Spain, Portugal and Germany.

The response highligh­ted the international app­eal of the expanded 48-team tournament, whi­ch will be hosted by Mexico, Canada and the US and will feature 104 matches across 16 host cities.

The draw is open until 11:00 ET (17:00 CET) on Sept 19, and the time of entry does not affect fans’ chances of securing tickets.

Successful applicants will be notified via email starting on Sept 29 and given designated time slots to purchase tickets beginning on Oct 1.

Tickets will start at $60, yet dynamic pricing will be in operation during the first phase of ticket sales with fans paying different prices according to market demand. Additional ticket sales phases are scheduled to begin in October.

Published in Dawn, September 13th, 2025