The Ticketing Sprint
Still looking for tickets? Don’t worry, you are definitely not alone! Even some of those lucky fans who successfully scored tickets during Phase 1: The Random Selection Draw are most likely still hunting for more. The easy relaxing approach to the ticket hunt is over and it is time to bring our “A” game to the table where preparation meets precision, and milliseconds can make the difference between cheering in the stands or watching from your couch.
FIFA typically announces Phase 2: First-Come, First-Served start after the Random Selection Draw concludes and application status notifications have been sent out. Teams, groups, and matches are also known at this point since the group draw happens before Phase 2 starts.
As of the writing of this post, we have learned the FIFA World Cup 2026 draw will take place on the 5th of December 2025, so we should expect the start date shortly after. But the official date will be published at fifa.com/tickets and official FIFA channels.
This is the one thing you simply cannot afford to miss! Mark your calendar, set multiple alarms, and be prepared to log in before the sale opens. Tickets are sold and processed in real time, and once they’re gone—they’re gone. Sales usually open at midday Central European Time (CET)—that’s early morning in the Americas and evening in Asia-Pacific; set your alarms accordingly.
Purchasing
Purchasing tickets during the First-Come, First-Served phase is FIFA’s version of a flash sale meets musical chairs.
Have you purchased tickets to a high demand event in the past? The final tour of a legendary rock band? The most popular pop singer of the moment? The FIFA ticketing platform will feel very familiar to that process… but on steroids.
Make sure to read our Ticketing System article, focusing specifically on the Phase2: First-Come, First-Served section.
Learn all there is to know about it before game day!
Log in to fifa.com/tickets a few minutes before the ticket sales are scheduled to open, this will put you in a virtual waiting room.
The platform only allows a certain number of logged in users at a time; once the ticket sales window starts you will be assigned a random position in a virtual queue. A progress bar will display your progress in the queue and provide feedback on an approximate waiting time.
Do not close your browser window or leave it unattended, stay put and don’t take your eyes off that screen. The wait time is an estimation, and it can happen sooner or later than anticipated.
When it is your turn, you’ll be granted access, but be aware you’ll need to Enter the website by clicking a button or taking similar action. This is why it is so important to stay vigilant, there is a time window to enter the website, and you will lose your position in the queue if you don’t act on time.
From this point forward it is pretty basic, sort through the available inventory, choose the match tickets you’d like to purchase, add them to your cart, and complete the purchase.
Simple enough, right? Yes, but No! Ticket availability is in constant motion, one second they are there, and by the time you try to add it to your cart they are gone. Can’t stress this enough! Know what you are buying ahead of time to the littlest detail. At this point you should already have a budget, a list of matches or packages you are looking for, what categories you are willing to purchase, how many tickets per match, what credit card you are using, the information of everyone you’ll be buying tickets for, etc. Your goal is to eliminate any and every possible decision making during this process.
Two important items to expand on:
- Ticket holder information: for each ticket you purchase you’ll need to provide the ticket holder’s full name, date of birth, nationality, passport number, and some more. Be sure to have their phone number, email address, and street address handy in case they are required.
- Guest tickets: if you purchase more than one (1) ticket for a specific match or package, extra tickets are considered guest tickets. One of the tickets is assigned to your FIFA account information (the one you are logged in), other tickets must be assigned to your guests.
Note that the ticket holder information for guest tickets can be changed after purchased. If you don’t have established guests yet, enter any placeholder information for now.
Once the tickets are in your shopping cart, they’ll be placed on hold for you until the purchase is completed.
A timer will display the time left to complete the purchase before the tickets are forfeited and returned to inventory. You can continue shopping for other tickets and add as many as you can find within the allowed limits, and complete payment once you are ready to check out.
When payment is complete, tickets will be assigned to your account, you’ll receive an email confirmation with your purchase, and you can start your happy dance. Congratulations, you are going to the FIFA World Cup!
🔥 Pro Tips:
- Have your guest tickets information pre-entered in the platform. Any guests used during the Random Selection Draw phase will be available to select, saving you an invaluable amount of time.
- Focus on high profile matches first, those will be hardest to come by as the sale phase progresses.
Think opening ceremony, the final, and high-profile teams. - Complete your first purchase as soon as you add tickets to your shopping cart. The check out process can take longer than you anticipate and run the risk of forfeiting your tickets. You don’t want to miss out because you ran out of time!
- Come back and continue shopping for more. You can take more time on your second go-around now that you have learned the ropes.
UPDATES:
- 09/03/2025: FIFA confirms dynamic pricing will be used for ticket sales. Single match tickets will range from $60 for group stage matches, up to $6,730 for the Final. The Dynamic Pricing strategy will effectively affect how much prices could fluctuate based on demand.
- 09/03/2025: FIFA announces users will be allowed a maximum of four (4) tickets per match, and forty (40) tickets in total for the entire tournament.
Resale
So, you scored tickets to the World Cup but now your cousin’s wedding is on the same day as Brazil vs. Argentina? We wouldn’t want to be in your shoes, but fortunately there’s no reason to panic.
Official Resale Platform
FIFA understands plans can change for a number of reasons. Whether you’re upgrading your seats or passing them on, ticket resales are perfectly legal using the official FIFA ticketing platform at FIFA.com/tickets. A secure resale platform that lets you pass your prized possession to another lucky fan—without getting tangled in the wild west of scalping.
In previous editions of the FIFA World Cup, placing your tickets for resale followed these guidelines:
- Prices are set to the ticket’s original face value; designed to prevent price gouging, ensure fairness and accessibility, and discourage scalping.
- FIFA charges the seller and buyer a small fee when the tickets are sold/purchased. This fee has typically been around 5%-10% of the ticket value.
- Purchasing resale tickets is simple as it follows the same steps as a regular ticket purchase.
The resale platform becomes available closer to the beginning of the tournament, after the last First-Come First-Served phase has concluded. This provides yet another official opportunity to purchase tickets for matches throughout the remainder of the tournament.
UPDATES:
- 09/03/2025: No price cap for tickets resale in the US and Canada; while official resale of tickets within Mexico will be regulated to the tickets original face value as Mexican government regulations prohibit resale profiteering.
🔥 Pro Tips:
- Check the official ticketing portal on a regular basis for resale inventory. You’d be surprised how easily you can sometimes get tickets to even the most sought after matches of the tournament. Checking during sleep hours can be very productive.
- Know your match preferences and act quickly. There’s no time to decide if you should get that ticket that just popped up or not.
Third-Party Resale Platforms
There are of course other ways to access resale tickets. Ticket holders often use third-party resale platforms like StubHub or Viagogo, and who could forget the guy outside the stadium whispering: “do you need tickets?” as you walk by.
FIFA discourages the use of these unofficial ticket sales and encourages fans to stick to the official ticketing portal to ensure a safe transaction and avoid scams.
These methods can feel like the black market with a glossy UI—because they are! Sometimes you strike gold, other times you get a QR code that’s about as useful as digital paperweight. While they offer flexibility and last-minute options, the risks are real: fake tickets, inflated prices, and sometimes zero guarantees.
🔥 Pro Tips:
- If you must go this route, carefully read the platform’s terms and conditions. Make sure they offer a money back guarantee if something goes south.
- We recommend sticking to FIFA’s official resale portal. Unless you enjoy adrenaline-fueled uncertainty, having to run like a maniac outside the stadium to find tickets is no fun task… even with a money back guarantee.
Alternative Ticket Sources
National Football Federation Allotments
This is something not many people know about, but FIFA distributes World Cup tickets through National Football Federations. Each participating country receives a specific ticket allotment based on its qualification status, match schedule, and fan demand.
National federations typically receive reserved blocks of Team-Specific Tickets for matches involving their national team. These tickets are intended for official fan groups and supporters in the Supporter Sections often behind the goalposts, Players’ Families and Federation Staff in designated areas, and Promotional and Sponsor related activities.
Each Federation is free to decide how they allocate these tickets within FIFA’s ethical and operational guidelines. This autonomy allows federations to tailor their approach based on local demand, fan culture, and logistical capabilities.
🔥 Pro Tips:
- Join your national supporters’ club early on, well before ticket phases open.
- Monitor your national federation’s announcements regarding ticketing procedures, lotteries, and eligibility.
- Be prepared with documentation; requirements can include national identification, membership, and travel details.
Right-to-Buy
The Right-to-Buy (RTB) model is FIFA’s new option to help fans secure tickets to the FIFA World Cup. RTB is a digital asset offered through FIFA Collect, a platform that offers fans access to exclusive windows to purchase tickets for specific matches.
This offering grants direct access to ticket sales through reserved slots, enabling RTB holders to buy tickets within a specified window dedicated to FIFA Collect.
Unlike the traditional Random Selection Draw and First-Come First-Served phases, RTBs allow holders to “bypass” the lottery and frantic ticket hunt, and directly purchase tickets during a dedicated sales window.
Important RTB Details
- A RTB does not guarantee the purchase of a ticket. Instead, it gives you the right to enter a reserved sales window with a limited allocation of tickets. A successful purchase is only guaranteed after you have completed payment for the ticket itself on a “first-come, first-served basis while supplies last”.
- A RTB is not a free ticket, it is a means to obtain access to purchase a ticket that must be paid for separately.
- RTBs have an expiration date. They must be converted into a ticket purchase within a specific time frame announced by FIFA. If you miss the window, the RTB is forfeited.
- Ticket prices are still unknown, which means the purchase price of the specific ticket for the specific RTB is determined later and it is not included in the initial RTB.
There are four main ways to get an RTB:
Glory Packs – The Direct Way
- Premium packs sold on FIFA Collect.
- Include a guaranteed RTB for high-profile matches.
- Immediate access upon purchase.
- Limited edition releases tied to specific events.
Challenges – The Collector’s Way
- Open packs and reveal digital collectibles.
- Complete designated collections and RTB challenges.
- Earn RTBs as rewards for completing challenge levels.
Surprise Packs – The Lucky Way
- Special drops that may contain RTBs.
- Chance-based, with limited-time availability.
- Includes other collectibles alongside RTBs.
Marketplace – The Resale Way
- Buy RTBs from other users via the FIFA Collect Marketplace.
- Prices vary based on match popularity and demand.
Our thoughts? This seems more like a way for FIFA to maximize revenue rather than their stated mission of “making football global, accessible and inclusive”. But to be fair, the information is simply not clear-cut and deserves more in-depth analysis than what we are willing to invest in at this point given our initial review. If any of our readers are still interested in pursuing RTBs, we suggest going to the FIFA Collect learning section and read up on all the details before considering this option.
Volunteering
Although not a real source for tickets, fans can apply to FIFA’s volunteer program to work at matches. With some strategy and luck, fans may be able to be a part of this wonderful event and secure a post with a field view to enjoy the game.
Volunteering at a FIFA World Cup also comes with perks that give you some cool bragging rights: unique world cup uniforms, volunteer certificate, exclusive rewards and items, and on top of that you get to be part of football history.
Applications run August – September 2025.
Head to FIFAworldcup.com/volunteers to explore volunteer roles and learn more.
On our upcoming article…
How do you access tickets?
How do you distribute them to your guests?
How do you use them at the stadiums?
What can you do to avoid last minute issues at the gates?
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