Connect with us

Sports

World Cup ticket guide: Are they for sale? How do I get one? How much do they cost?

Published

on

World Cup ticket guide: Are they for sale? How do I get one? How much do they cost?

The next World Cup will be jointly hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico and will take place from June 11 to July 19, 2026.

It will be the first tournament to include 48 teams, expanded from the previous number of 32, meaning there will be more games than ever — 104 in total.

The tournament is a long way off, so details on tickets are thin on the ground, but this is what we know so far.


Where are the matches?

The World Cup will take place across 16 cities in three countries, more than any tournament before.

Three of these locations are in Mexico: Monterrey, Guadalajara and Mexico City.

Advertisement

Two others are on either coast of Canada: Vancouver and Toronto.

The remaining 11 are in the USA: Miami, Boston, San Francisco, Seattle, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Houston, Kansas City, Dallas and New York City.

That U.S. list gives the nearest big city to each stadium. Some venues are located in lesser-known settlements nearby, such as East Rutherford in New Jersey for New York and Santa Clara for San Francisco.


Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Mexico (Sergio Navarrete/Getty Images)

How does the tournament work?

Since 1998, World Cups have had 32 teams, enabling a neat symmetry, but this one is bigger and 48 teams means a somewhat more complex format is necessary.

The tournament used to have eight groups of four teams in which each country played each other once. The top two in each group then progress to four knockout stages — a round of 16, then quarter-finals, semi-finals and the final.

Advertisement

The USA, Canada and Mexico all qualify automatically. The remaining 45 slots will be filled through qualifying competitions, which take place separately on each continent.

In 2026, there will still be four teams in a group and the top two will still progress to the next stage, but there will be 12 groups rather than eight.

And the eight best third-placed teams — of 12 — in the groups will also progress, a similar format to the European Championships (which has 24 teams).

Thirty-two teams will progress to the knockout stage, meaning an extra knockout round, before the tournament continues from the round of 16 as it has in previous tournaments.


Where are the biggest games?

The U.S., Canada and Mexico will play their three group games in their home country.

Advertisement

Mexico City’s Azteca Stadium, which hosted the 1970 and 1986 World Cup finals, will host the tournament’s opening game. The U.S. will host 78 matches overall, while Canada and Mexico will host 13 each.

All of the quarter-finals and both the semi-finals will be in the U.S., along with the final. The quarter-finals will be in Boston, Los Angeles, Miami and Kansas City, while the semi-finals will be in Dallas and Atlanta.

The 23rd World Cup final will take place at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on the outskirts of New York City, on July 19, 2026.

These stadiums are split into three regions, west, central and east, in an attempt to minimise travel for fans. Nevertheless, the distances within regions are vast, with Kansas City and Mexico City (1,385 miles apart) in the same region, as well as Toronto and Miami (1,239 miles apart).


(Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images)

Are tickets on sale?

No.

Advertisement

With more than two years to go until the tournament kicks off, there is little public information about tickets.

A page on the FIFA website simply allows people to register their details to receive information about tickets when it is available. The Athletic contacted the tournament organisers for comment.


How will the ticketing process work?

We don’t know for sure, but looking at previous World Cups as well as similar events like the European Championships, it is possible to make some educated guesses.

Tickets for major tournaments are essentially split into three categories.

First, there are tickets allocated to member associations — the two countries playing against each other in a given match. These are generally given to supporters on the basis of loyalty, for example by points built up from following the country in qualifiers.

Advertisement

How easy these will be to get hold of varies greatly depending on the country — they will be in high demand for the host countries, but easier to come across for nations far away with less of a travelling following.

The second category is those tickets given over to sponsors and other members of what FIFA likes to call the “football family”.

This does not just mean VIPs in glitzy hospitality boxes. For last year’s Champions League final in Istanbul, only about 40,000 went to fans of Manchester City and Inter Milan. The remaining 35,000 went to sponsors and all sorts of other people with links to UEFA. A small number of these may make their way into the hands of ordinary fans through tickets and giveaways.

As the tournament progresses and the games get more glamorous, the demand from sponsors and other “neutral” supporters will get higher.

The third is the rest. These are the tickets the public can buy without being a member of any country’s loyalty scheme or part of the football family.

Advertisement

How will these general sale tickets get allocated?

We don’t know for sure but can take a look at how Germany, the host of this summer’s European Championship, is allocating tickets.

There have been two stages of ballots in which people can select to buy several tickets in four different categories. Cheaper tickets are generally in higher demand, so it is likely to be easier to get a ticket by entering the ballot in a more expensive category.

UEFA has not released details of further ticket sales. Still, there will likely be a limited amount of tickets on general sale between now and the tournament beginning in June, likely for the matches featuring less glamorous teams at bigger stadiums.

Demand for tickets in Germany has been extremely high for several reasons.


(Rob Pinney/Getty Images)

First, attending live football matches is a huge part of German culture, so demand from locals is high.

Advertisement

Second, the tournament is the only European Championship or World Cup in Western Europe taking place between 2016 and 2028, except Euro 2020, which took place across the continent but saw travel heavily restricted by Covid.

This means huge numbers of football fans across Europe want tickets for Germany.

It remains to be seen how strong demand will be for World Cup 2026, particularly in cities like Kansas City and Houston, which are not normally associated with football — but things in the U.S. are changing quickly in that respect.


How much do World Cup tickets cost?

We don’t know yet, but we can look at precedent.

It is often hard to give a definitive answer to this question because tournament organisers often sell some tickets at low prices, which are in reality very difficult to get hold of, with most fans paying far more.

Advertisement

An analysis by German sports consultancy Keller Sports in 2022 found that an average ticket at the Qatar World Cup was £286, rising to £684 for the final. This was a 46 per cent increase on the tournament in Russia in 2018.

Excluding restricted view tickets and a special category only available to Qatari nationals, group stage tickets ranged in price from 40 Riyals ($11) to 800 Riyals ($213).

This steadily increased in price as the tournament progressed, with final tickets costing between 750 Riyals ($200) and 5850 Riyals ($1,560).

There may also be tickets available on secondary resale sites where prices are likely to be far higher.

These sorts of platforms are often risky to use in Europe, with football organisations not cooperating with them because of deeply engrained cultural norms against very high ticket prices.

Advertisement

But in the U.S., this taboo is not in place and it was perfectly possible to buy a Super Bowl ticket through a credible reseller — if you have $10,000 to spare.

It remains to be seen which approach the World Cup will take.


How much do tickets cost compared to the Super Bowl and other major events?

The cheapest face-value tickets for this year’s Super Bowl sold directly by the NFL were about $2,000, far higher than for any major football match.

Tickets changed hands for about five times this on the secondary market.

Tickets for the final are likely to reach similar eye-watering prices, but if you are not too picky about which game you go to, you will likely be able to get tickets for early World Cup games at far more affordable prices.

Advertisement

Is it possible to attend every game at the World Cup?

Football YouTuber Theo Ogden, known as Thogden, attended every game of the Qatar World Cup in 2022, the first person in history to do this at a tournament.

This was possible because of Qatar’s tiny geographical size, although he did have to miss half of several of the games to fit them all in.

But there’s absolutely no chance of anyone repeating the same feat in 2026.

Over a manic 17 days from June 11 and June 27, the entire group stage will be completed — all 72 games of it. The last four of those days will have six games on each of them, spanning the entire continent of North America.

With vast distances between stadiums, fans will have to plan their games carefully.

Advertisement

(Top photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Sports

Paraguay stuns four-time World Cup champions Germany in penalty shootout after controversial call

Published

on

Paraguay stuns four-time World Cup champions Germany in penalty shootout after controversial call

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

Paraguay stunned Germany, the four-time FIFA World Cup champions, after moving on to the round of 16 after winning 4-3 in a penalty shootout on Monday in an absolutely thrilling match with a key controversial moment sprinkled in.

That moment came in extra time, which was needed after a 1-1 draw after 90 minutes plus stoppage time between these two opponents.

Germany had dominated throughout this match, but Paraguay had made the best of their grade-A chance in the first half when Julio Enciso buried a header in the 42nd minute. The Germans were able to finally get on the board, though, in the 54th minute when Kai Havertz saw his own header flick into the back of the net.

Advertisement

Julio Enciso of Paraguay celebrates with teammate Gustavo Gomez after scoring the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against Germany at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on June 29, 2026. (Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Images)

From there, Germany was on the offensive, getting chance after chance with some from Paraguay tossed in. But when extra time began, it seemed only a matter of time before Germany would pot another and take the lead.

It appeared to happen when Jonathan Tah rose up and smashed a header on a corner kick past Paraguay keeper Orlando Gill. The German faithful inside Boston Stadium went ballistic, but that was short-lived after the head official went to the VAR screen to review a potential foul.

CURACAO STUNS GERMANY AT WORLD CUP WITH HISTORIC GOAL THAT SENDS SUPPORTERS INTO UNDERSTANDABLE FRENZY

During the corner kick, Germany’s Waldemar Anton seemed to obstruct Gill’s movement toward the ball, and ultimately to defend Tah’s header. And if he was simply trying to sell the foul, it worked.

Advertisement

After review, the goal was annulled with the referee explaining that Anton’s actions had prevented Gill from properly getting the chance to stop the header.

After the 30 minutes of extra time, neither side was able to break the 1-1 tie. As a result, the tournament’s first penalty shootout was set to determine who would move on to the round of 16, and who would be heading home.

Things did not start off on the right foot for Germany when Havertz stepped up to the ball and saw Gill make a save. Maurício used that momentum and scored his first to immediately put Paraguay in a good position to win.

Both sides would ace their next two penalties apiece before Nick Woltemade’s attempt was saved by Gill. Paraguay, now, had a chance to win it all, but Antonio Sanabria missed the team’s fourth penalty.

Orlando Gill of Paraguay celebrates after Julio Enciso scored the team’s first goal during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match against Germany at Boston Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., on June 29, 2026. (Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Advertisement

Nadiem Amiri kept Germany’s hopes alive with a made shot on the team’s fifth attempt, but being that penalties are determined by five shots, Fabián Balbuena had the opportunity to win it all. However, Manuel Neuer, one of the most decorated goalkeepers in soccer history, let alone Germany’s squad, kept up clutch with a save to force another round.

With slight momentum on their side, Tah stepped up to the penalty area with the chance to get another game-winning goal, this time with his boot. But his attempt was a miserable one, belting it over the crossbar and into the stands.

Paraguay, elated after the miss, sent José Canale to the box and he didn’t disappoint. Neuer guessed the wrong way and Canale tucked his shot under the bar and Paraguay celebrated as you’d expect: pure joy.

It’s the first time ever Germany has lost in penalties at the FIFA World Cup.

Germany was left shocked on the pitch, as their 2026 World Cup journey comes to a close. And it’s hard not to think what-if when they appeared to have the game-winner on the scoreboard only for it to be taken away by a call that will certainly be debated for some time.

Advertisement

Paraguay’s midfielder Julio Enciso celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the 2026 World Cup round of 32 match against Germany at Boston Stadium in Foxborough on June 29, 2026. (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Meanwhile, Paraguay will now await the winner of the round of 32 match between France and Sweden, which will be played at 5 p.m. ET on Tuesday at New York/New Jersey Stadium.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Sports

Teoscar Hernández returns, and Dodgers unleash 17-hit barrage in win over Athletics

Published

on

Teoscar Hernández returns, and Dodgers unleash 17-hit barrage in win over Athletics

Teoscar Hernández was back from a hamstring injury, and a little bit humble. He was about to play his first game in a month for the Dodgers.

“I don’t think they really need me in the lineup,” he said, with a hint of a smile.

Hernández hit 58 home runs over his first two seasons with the Dodgers, each of which ended in a World Series championship, so of course they need him. But, in his absence, the Dodgers had more than doubled their National League West lead.

Hernández is back, but Will Smith and Kiké Hernández still are out. So are Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Edwin Díaz.

No matter: The Dodgers boosted their division lead to 11 games Monday with a 9-4 victory over the Athletics. Shohei Ohtani, Max Muncy and Andy Pages homered to highlight a 17-hit attack.

Advertisement

The Dodgers are on pace to win the NL West by 21 games. They boast the best record in the major leagues at 55-30, and Ohtani and the Traveling All-Stars remain baseball’s best road show.

Before the game, a guy setting up one of the merchandise stands here pointed to all the Dodgers gear for sale. He wore a Dodgers cap. He said he wished he had more Dodgers stuff to sell, because the crowd would be overwhelmingly in favor of the Dodgers.

And so it was, one day after San Diego fans complained of all the Dodgers partisans at Petco Park. In Sacramento, where the wandering home team wears a Sacramento patch on one jersey sleeve and a Las Vegas patch on the other sleeve, there were loud cheers for Ohtani and Freddie Freeman and Mookie Betts, and loud chants of “Let’s go, Dodgers!”

Every Dodger in the starting lineup had two hits except for Betts, who had one.

Eric Lauer, imported to fortify a starting rotation without Glasnow and Snell, worked six innings to record the victory. He gave up three runs and four hits in the second inning, no runs and five hits over the other five.

Advertisement

Dodgers starting pitcher Eric Lauer worked six innings to record the victory. He gave up three runs and four hits in the second inning, no runs and four hits over the other five.

(Thearon W. Henderson / Getty Images)

He is 3-0 with 2.88 earned-run average in six starts for the Dodgers, the last three of them classified as quality starts.

“He’s been nothing but impressive for us,” Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said.

Advertisement

Glasnow and Snell are weeks away from returning, and maybe more, but Roberts said they would not lose their job because of injury.

“Eric coming over here knew that this was the deal, right?” said Roberts, who posted his 999th career win. “Until they get back. We just don’t know when. He’s just got to stay focused on doing his job. Then when that time comes we’ll see what happens.”

In the top of the second, the Dodgers bunched four hits, all singles — the first by Hernández, beating out an infield single in his first at-bat since the hamstring injury — to take a 2-0 lead. In the bottom of the inning, the A’s also bunched four hits, including a Colby Thomas home run, to take a 3-2 lead.

The rest of the Dodgers’ scoring: a solo homer by Muncy and a two-run homer by Pages in the fourth, a three-run homer by Ohtani in the sixth, and an RBI single by Freeman in the eighth. The A’s scored the final run on a wild pitch in the ninth.

Advertisement

And, speaking of wild, each team had a Max Muncy playing third base and batting seventh.

“It’s a strange feeling standing at third base and they’re announcing that you’re hitting and it’s not you,” Muncy (the Dodgers one) said.

Miguel Rojas said the Dodgers have flourished in the wake of significant injuries because the organization places a priority on developing players and giving them a fair shot at playing time, citing Pages, infielder Alex Freeland and pitchers Justin Wrobleski and Emmet Sheehan, as well as wise trades for supplementary players, including infielder-outfielder Tommy Edman and outfielder Alex Call.

“It’s not living with the narrative of ‘We’re buying championships and spending money,’” Rojas said. “Yeah, we’re spending money to get good players. But we’re not really basing our success just on that.

Shohei Ohtani tosses his bat after hitting a three-run home run for the Dodgers.

Shohei Ohtani tosses his bat after hitting a three-run home run for the Dodgers in the sixth inning against the Athletics on Monday night.

(Sara Nevis / Associated Press)

Advertisement

“The front office does quality work on getting the right players and putting the puzzle together. I feel that’s the reason why we can afford losing a couple guys in the middle of the year, because we have a full team that is ready to step up.”

Still, Rojas conceded none of that would matter without Ohtani, Freeman, Betts and Yoshinobu Yamamoto. And, yes, Rojas said, the Dodgers do have an irreplaceable player.

“It’s going to be really hard if we lose Shohei,” Rojas said. “It’s going to be a little bit different than losing another player. Having Shohei at the top of the lineup every single day and doing both sides of the ball has been really helpful.”

Ohtani gave the Sacramento crowd what it wanted to see: a majestic 432-foot home run, with a supercharged, 112-mph exit velocity. On Wednesday, the last day of the Dodgers’ only scheduled visit here before the A’s move to Las Vegas in 2028, he’ll take the mound to give the people more of what they want to see.

Advertisement

“I think we got market share tonight,” Roberts said. “It was fun. A lot of people don’t get a chance to see us play. So people up here in this area, Northern California, get to see us, get to see Shohei put on a show.”

Ohtani, two-way All-Star?

Roberts said no decision has been made about whether Ohtani will pitch in the All-Star Game. Ohtani already has been elected as the starting designated hitter for the National League.

If Ohtani is not the starting pitcher, he will not pitch.

In the 2021 All-Star Game, Ohtani was the starting pitcher and designated hitter for the American League. It would be impractical for Ohtani to warm up to pitch in the middle of an exhibition game in which he is the DH.

Advertisement

The Dodgers closely manage Ohtani’s workload on the mound, which could lead to a decision that he skip pitching in the game. The most likely candidates for NL starting pitcher: Jacob Misiorowski of the Milwaukee Brewers and Cristopher Sanchez of the host Philadelphia Phillies, with Yamamoto also worthy of consideration.

Continue Reading

Sports

Lions release Terrion Arnold after bond set at $1 million in armed robbery, kidnapping case

Published

on

Lions release Terrion Arnold after bond set at  million in armed robbery, kidnapping case

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

The Detroit Lions announced they have released cornerback Terrion Arnold, their 2024 first-round pick, following an arrest last week where he was charged with armed robbery and kidnapping.

This comes after Arnold had his bond set at $1 million on Monday by Hillsborough County Judge Christopher Sabella.

Sabella also added conditions for Arnold, which included no contact with the six co-defendants in the case as well as the witnesses. He also must surrender his passport within 48 hours, and remain confined to his home in Tallahassee, Florida, except when he would be playing, training or traveling with the Lions or making court-related appearances.

Advertisement

Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions runs onto the field before an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, on Nov. 27, 2025. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

The state also asked Judge Sabella for Arnold to be required to wear a GPS tracking device, but Arnold’s attorneys said he wouldn’t be able to play football with it on.

Prosecutors were pushing for Arnold to be held without bond but, though the charges are serious ones in Sabella’s eyes, he didn’t believe the case was strong enough to hold him in that fashion.

The 23-year-old Arnold was arrested in connection with an alleged kidnapping and robbery that investigators say occurred in February, the Tampa Police Department announced on June 25. Arnold turned himself in and was taken into custody at Orient Road Jail in Hillsborough County on Wednesday night.

TERRION ARNOLD, LIONS’ 2024 FIRST-ROUND PICK, CHARGED WITH KIDNAPPING AND ARMED ROBBERY IN FLORIDA

Advertisement

Arnold is charged with four counts of kidnapping and four counts of armed robbery.

Spokespersons for the Lions and the NFL told Fox News Digital they were aware of the situation, but wouldn’t comment any further. Now, the Lions have made their move one month before training camp kicks off across the league.

According to investigators, Arnold rented an Airbnb in Largo, Florida, where he periodically stayed with several co-defendants: Arianna Del Valle, 19; Jasmine Randazzo, 19; Lyndell Hudson II, 26; Christion Williams, 24; Boakai Hilton Jr., 23; and Freddie Hughes, 27. Authorities said other individuals also stayed at the property.

Investigators said three male victims, all in their late teens, suffered visible injuries after they were allegedly battered, held at gunpoint and pistol-whipped before being robbed and ordered to leave a residence in the 14000 block of North 46th Street in Tampa.

Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions looks on during the second half of an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, Wis., on Sept. 7, 2025. (Todd Rosenberg/Getty Images)

Advertisement

According to investigators, multiple personal items belonging to Arnold and others were stolen from the Airbnb on Feb. 1. Authorities said Arnold suspected two of the three victims were responsible, though Tampa police later determined they were not involved in the theft.

On Feb. 3, Arnold, Hilton, Hughes and another individual reported more than $250,000 in stolen property to the Largo Police Department.

Investigators allege that later that day Arnold and Hilton coordinated with Del Valle and Randazzo to contact one of the victims and lure him to an apartment.

Police said the three victims arrived at the apartment on Feb. 4 to meet the women, where Williams and Hudson were allegedly hiding inside a bedroom closet. According to investigators, Williams and Hudson grabbed the victims, held them at gunpoint and assaulted them.

Authorities said Del Valle streamed the incident to Arnold, Hilton and Hughes as they traveled to the apartment. Investigators also said they recovered a group chat involving the defendants in which Arnold and Hilton allegedly gave directions to Del Valle, Williams and Hudson during the assault.

Advertisement

According to investigators, Arnold, Hilton, Hughes and another individual arrived at the apartment around 1 a.m. Police allege Arnold directed the group inside, and that Hughes, Hudson and Williams stole the victims’ personal property while the assault was ongoing.

Authorities said the victims were escorted from the apartment about 40 minutes later, forced into their vehicle and left the scene. They later reported the incident to Tampa police and identified the suspects.

Terrion Arnold of the Detroit Lions lines up before a play during an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at Ford Field in Detroit, Mich., on Nov. 27, 2025. (Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP

Investigators said they believe Arnold was the primary organizer of the alleged scheme based on evidence gathered during the investigation. However, Harvey Steinberg, one of Arnold’s attorneys, argued in court that the prosecutors were “not even close” to showing he knew or directed his associates in this incident.

Advertisement

Arnold was expected to be a starting corner for the Lions this season, making his release a big one for the depth chart. He recorded his first career interception this past season in Week 9 against the Minnesota Vikings, though he was only able to play eight games because of a shoulder injury that required season-ending surgery.

Arnold played 16 games during his rookie season in 2024, tallying 10 passes defended and 60 combined tackles.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Continue Reading
Advertisement

Trending