Soccer’s governing body revealed record-breaking demand for the 2025 World Cup, with more than 500 million ticket requests flooding in for the tournament that will be staged across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
At a Glance
- FIFA received over 500 million ticket requests for the 2025 World Cup
- Top-priced single ticket is $8,680; limited $60 seats will be offered to each federation
- Colombia vs Portugal on June 27 in Miami Gardens is the most sought-after match
- Applicants will learn their fate no earlier than February 5
The staggering number of applications dwarfs previous tournaments and has pushed FIFA to implement a random-allocation system for any match whose demand outstrips supply. Natalie A. Brooks reported Wednesday that the window for the third sales phase closed Tuesday, setting the stage for next month’s draw.
Ticket Prices Range From $60 To $8,680
FIFA has priced the best seats at $8,680 apiece, sparking criticism from supporters’ groups. In response, the organization promised last month that every game will have a block of $60 tickets. Those cheaper seats will be handed to the 48 competing national federations, which must decide how to distribute them among fans who have attended their teams’ previous qualifiers or friendlies.
The pricing structure means a fan could pay anywhere from the cost of a family dinner to the price of a used car for a single match ticket.
Most-Requested Matches
The five games that generated the heaviest demand during the December 11-January 14 sales phase:
- Colombia vs Portugal – June 27, Miami Gardens, Florida
- Mexico vs South Korea – June 18, Guadalajara, Mexico
- Final – July 19, East Rutherford, New Jersey
- Opening match – June 11, Mexico City (Mexico vs South Africa)
- Second-round match – July 2, Toronto
Colombia’s meeting with Portugal at Hard Rock Stadium tops the list, a fixture that pits two nations with fervent travelling support against each other in one of the tournament’s largest venues.
Global Demand Outside Host Nations
While the host countries naturally dominate the request totals, international appetite is being driven by seven nations:
- Germany
- England
- Brazil
- Spain
- Portugal
- Argentina
- Colombia
Those countries alone account for tens of millions of applications, underscoring the World Cup’s pull in Europe and South America even when the event is thousands of miles away.
Allocation Timeline
FIFA will begin notifying applicants on or after February 5. Fans whose names are drawn will have a limited window to complete payment; any unclaimed seats will roll into a subsequent sales phase. The organization did not specify how many tickets are available for each match, but with stadium capacities ranging from 40,000 to more than 80,000, supply remains a fraction of the half-billion requests.
Prize Money Set
The tournament will also feature the richest purse in World Cup history. The champion will claim $50 million, while the runner-up takes $33 million. Third place earns $29 million and fourth $27 million, ensuring every semifinalist leaves with at least that amount.
Key Takeaways
- Demand is 25 times larger than the 2014 World Cup, the last time FIFA released comparative figures.
- Single-match ticket prices now rival Super Bowl levels, yet the cheapest seats are cheaper than a NBA nosebleed.
- Random allocation means even applicants who requested the maximum four tickets per match have no guarantee.
- National federations become gatekeepers for the $60 seats, raising questions about fairness and transparency in distribution.
Gianni Infantino, president of the Federation Internationale de Football Association, has touted the tournament as the “most inclusive and accessible” in history, but the numbers reveal a competition where scarcity, not price, is the ultimate barrier for millions of fans.
