Global excitement ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is reaching historic levels, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino revealing that the tournament has already attracted more than 500 million ticket requests.
Speaking at the FIFA Congress on Thursday, Infantino said demand for tickets to the competition in the United States, Canada and Mexico has surpassed anything seen in previous World Cups.
According to him, the figure is ten times higher than the combined ticket requests recorded for the last two FIFA World Cups.
“We had 500 million ticket requests,” Infantino said. “In the last two World Cups together, we had 50 million ticket requests. Here, 500 million.”
The 2026 edition will be the first World Cup to feature 48 teams, expanding the tournament significantly and increasing the number of matches to be played across the three host nations.
Infantino noted that FIFA has already sold nearly all tickets released so far, with around 90 percent of the current inventory already taken up by fans across the world.
“We’ve sold 100 percent of the inventory that we’ve put on the market,” he explained, adding that FIFA will continue releasing tickets in phases ahead of the tournament.
The extraordinary demand has also sparked conversations about ticket affordability and whether ordinary football fans, especially local supporters, will be able to access matches.
Responding to the concerns, Infantino admitted that some ticket categories are expensive but maintained that affordable options are still available for supporters.
“There are expensive tickets, yes, but there are also affordable tickets,” he said.
With months still to go before kickoff, the record-breaking interest is already positioning the 2026 FIFA World Cup as one of the biggest sporting events ever staged, both in terms of attendance and commercial success.
