Football’s world governing body, FIFA, revealed on Wednesday that it had received more than 500 million ticket requests for this year’s World Cup, despite mounting criticism over the soaring cost of attending the tournament.
In a statement, FIFA said applications poured in from fans across all 211 of its member nations and territories for the competition to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The application window for the ticket lottery closed on Tuesday, with successful applicants to be notified “no earlier than 5 February.”
Outside the host countries, the strongest demand came from supporters in Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, and Colombia. The most sought-after match was Colombia’s group clash with Portugal in Miami on June 27, followed by Mexico versus South Korea in Guadalajara on June 18, and the World Cup final in New Jersey on July 19.
“Half a billion ticket requests in just over a month is more than demand – it’s a global statement,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. “I thank football fans everywhere for this extraordinary response. Our only regret is that we cannot welcome every supporter into the stadiums.”
FIFA has, however, come under heavy fire over its pricing strategy for the expanded 48-team tournament, with fan groups describing ticket costs as “extortionate” and “astronomical.” Football Supporters Europe (FSE) said prices were nearly five times higher than those at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The backlash led FIFA to introduce a new category of discounted tickets in December, priced at 60 US dollars (51 euros).
