Football’s world governing body, FIFA, has announced that it received more than 500 million ticket requests for this year’s World Cup, even amid widespread criticism over the high cost of attending the tournament.
In a statement released on Wednesday, January 14, FIFA disclosed that fans from all 211 member nations and territories applied for tickets to the competition, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The application window for the ticket lottery closed on Tuesday, with FIFA noting that applicants will be informed of the outcome of their requests no earlier than February 5.
Outside the host countries, the highest demand came from fans in Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, and Colombia.
FIFA revealed that the most requested match was Colombia’s group-stage encounter against Portugal in Miami on June 27. This was followed by Mexico’s group clash with South Korea in Guadalajara on June 18, while the World Cup final scheduled for July 19 in New Jersey also ranked among the most sought-after games.
Reacting to the development, FIFA President Gianni Infantino described the surge in applications as a powerful indication of global enthusiasm for the tournament.
“Half a billion ticket requests in just over a month is more than demand — it’s a global statement,” Infantino said, adding that FIFA regretted being unable to accommodate every interested fan.
Despite the overwhelming interest, FIFA has come under fire for its ticket pricing strategy for the expanded 48-team World Cup. Supporters’ groups have labelled the prices “extortionate” and “astronomical,” with Football Supporters Europe claiming that ticket costs are nearly five times higher than those at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
In response to the criticism, FIFA introduced a new category of lower-priced tickets in December, priced at 60 US dollars (51 euros), in an effort to make the tournament more accessible to fans.
