Thursday is an important day for fans hoping for tickets to World Cup games in KC
You don’t have to do the math to realize there are going to be some unhappy soccer fans.
FIFA said last month that more than 500 million ticket requests were submitted during the Random Selection Draw ticket sales phase for the 2026 World Cup. That ran from Dec. 11 to Jan. 13, and requests came from every FIFA member association.
That’s 211 nations vying for a chance to see one of the 104 matches in the World Cup.
The top 10 nations to request tickets:
- United States
- Mexico
- Canada
- Germany
- England
- Brazil
- Spain
- Portugal
- Argentina
- Colombia
Anyone who requested tickets will learn their fate starting Thursday.
“Fans will be notified of the outcome of their ticket applications by email no earlier than 5 February,” FIFA said in a news release. “All successful and partially successful ticket applicants will receive communications via email and subsequently will be automatically charged for their tickets.”
Fans who have a “partially successful application” will get tickets to some of the matches they requested but not all of them, according to FIFA.
The most coveted match in this sales phase was Colombia vs. Portugal on June 27 in Miami, followed by Mexico vs. South Korea on June 18 in Guadalajara; and the World Cup final in East Rutherford, New Jersey on July 19.
Four group-stage matches will be played at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, along with two knockout round games.
This story was originally published February 5, 2026 at 8:54 AM.
