Applications for tickets to the 2026 North and Central America World Cup topped 5 million on the first day.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) said on the 13th (Korea time) on its official website that "more than 5 million applications from over 200 countries were received within 24 hours of the start of ticket sales for the North and Central America World Cup."
The most requested match was the Group K third match between Portugal and Colombia, to be held on June 28 next year (local time) in Miami, United States. It is interpreted as driven by fans hoping to see Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nassr) of the Portugal national team in a final World Cup appearance.
The second most requested match is the Group C opener between Brazil and Morocco, scheduled for June 14 next year. The Group A second match between Korea and Mexico on June 12 drew the third-highest interest. For Mexico fans in one of the tournament's co-host nations, it is seen as a match in Group A that could clinch first place, concentrating their attention.
The countries with the most World Cup ticket applications were the co-hosts, the United States, Canada and Mexico. Colombia, England, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Scotland, Germany, Australia, France and Panama followed.
The price of tickets for this World Cup drew criticism as excessively high compared with the previous 2022 Qatar World Cup. According to ticket prices released by the German Football Association, group-stage tickets are set at $180 to $700. The top price for the final is $8,680. That is up to five times higher than the 2022 Qatar World Cup.