2026 WORLD CUP FEVER GROWS AS TICKET SALES TOP ONE MILLION
FIFA announces over 1 million tickets sold for the 2026 World Cup in North America. Fans from 212 countries have purchased seats, with the next ticket sales phase starting on October 27th.
FIFA announced on Thursday that more than 1 million tickets for the World Cup next year had already been sold, the first numerical update since the formal start of sales earlier this month.
As anticipated, customers in the three countries that will host the tournament—the United States, Canada, and Mexico—had the strongest demand. Although only 28 of the 48 spaces in the field have been filled, FIFA reported that citizens from 212 different countries and territories have already made purchases.
According to FIFA, England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Argentina, and France are the last ten nations in terms of the number of tickets already bought. The competition takes place between June 11 and July 19.
"I am happy that so many football-loving fans want to be part of this historic event in North America as national teams from all over the world compete for a spot at the historic FIFA World Cup 26," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino in a statement.
"It is a fantastic response and a great indication that the largest, most inclusive FIFA World Cup in history is grabbing the interest of fans worldwide," he continued.
FIFA did not provide any breakdowns by host site or disclose any precise numbers on the number of tickets sold for particular matches.
In a lottery held last month, the buyers who bought tickets in this initial round of availability were chosen from 4.5 million applicants. In addition to venue- and team-specific tickets, FIFA said that single-match tickets for all 104 games will be made available to fans on October 27th, when the next draw's entry period opens.
There will be almost 7.1 million seats available for the 104 tournament matches in 16 North American stadiums, according to the reported stadium attendance numbers. The number of seats that will be offered for sale to the general public is unclear.
According to ticket data, at least 40 matches had the cheapest tickets, which were $60. Nearly all of the seats and the majority of the matches were priced significantly higher. Prices for the U.S.'s first match, which will take place in Inglewood, California, ranged from $560 to $2,735 when sales began.
With the ability to buy, fans could select seats from four different categories: Category 1 offers the most expensive tickets, while Category 4 is located near the top of the stadium. As the largest event in football introduces dynamic pricing, ticket prices are anticipated to change.
The ticket draw's second-phase winners will be able to buy between the middle of November and the beginning of December. After the World Cup schedule is decided by the final team draw on December 5, a third stage, known as a random selection draw, will begin.
Additionally, tickets will be offered "on a first-come, first-served basis" as the competition draws near. Additionally, FIFA said on Thursday that its official ticket resale platform is now accessible.
THOMAS TUCHEL NAMES EXPANDED ENGLAND SQUAD FEATURING FOUR SURPRISE NEW INCLUSIONS
Thomas Tuchel hands maiden England call-ups to James Garner and Jason Steele while omitting Trent Alexander-Arnold.
James Garner from Everton and Brighton’s goalkeeper Jason Steele have earned their first call-ups to the England squad. Alongside them, AC Milan’s defender Fikayo Tomori and Tottenham’s forward Dominic Solanke have also been included. However, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luke Shaw did not make the cut this time.
Jude Bellingham, despite being sidelined since early February due to a hamstring injury, is still part of the squad. Experienced centre-back Harry Maguire, now 33, has the chance to add to his 64 caps, while 20-year-old Kobbie Mainoo, who started in the Euro 2024 final, is also selected. Both last represented England in September 2024 but have been rewarded for Manchester United’s recent good form, which has lifted them to third place in the Premier League.
Luke Shaw, pushing for inclusion, has been overlooked once again. Instead, Tuchel has called up Newcastle’s Lewis Hall, marking his first call-up since Tuchel took over.
This squad is larger than usual, with players arriving in two phases during the international window. Tuchel explained on the Football Association’s website that the first group includes players who haven’t played much recently, aiming to broaden competition for spots in the upcoming US tour. Then, from Friday to Saturday, another group will join, including some who’ve had a short rest, to mix things up for the match against Japan.
England will face Uruguay at Wembley on March 27, followed by a home game against Japan on March 31. Looking ahead, the World Cup kicks off on June 11 in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, with England considered among the contenders.
Here’s the full squad breakdown:
Goalkeepers: Dean Henderson (Crystal Palace), Jordan Pickford (Everton), James Trafford (Manchester City), Aaron Ramsdale (Newcastle), Jason Steele (Brighton)
Defenders: Dan Burn (Newcastle), Marc Guehi (Crystal Palace), Lewis Hall (Newcastle), Ezri Konsa (Aston Villa), Tino Livramento (Newcastle), Harry Maguire (Manchester United), Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City), Jarell Quansah (Bayer Leverkusen), Djed Spence (Tottenham), John Stones (Manchester City), Fikayo Tomori (AC Milan)
Midfielders: Elliot Anderson (Nottingham Forest), Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid), James Garner (Everton), Jordan Henderson (Brentford), Kobbie Mainoo (Manchester United), Declan Rice (Arsenal), Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa), Adam Wharton (Crystal Palace)
Forwards: Jarrod Bowen (West Ham), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (Leeds), Eberechi Eze (Arsenal), Phil Foden (Manchester City), Anthony Gordon (Newcastle), Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Noni Madueke (Arsenal), Cole Palmer (Chelsea), Marcus Rashford (Barcelona), Bukayo Saka (Arsenal), Dominic Solanke (Tottenham)
WHY CAF STRIPPED SENEGAL OF THEIR AFRICA CUP OF NATIONS TITLE
Following a final walk-off, Senegal has lost its AFCON trophy in the boardroom, prompting an appeal to CAS by the FSF.
Moussa Niakhate finally spoke out after the Confederation of African Football’s shocking decision to take Senegal’s Africa Cup of Nations trophy away. After that wild walk-off in the final against Morocco, CAF backed an appeal and handed the host nation a 3-0 win by default. Senegalese players were furious; who wouldn’t be?
The boardroom decision completely flipped African football on its head. Two months after the final, the CAF Appeal Board tossed out Senegal’s victory and gave Morocco the win. It all started deep into stoppage time when VAR gave Morocco a penalty. Pape Thiaw, Senegal’s manager, lost it and told his players to leave the field. Eventually, they came back and finished the match. Still, officials said the walk-off broke tournament rules, so they took the title away. Brutal.
Niakhate, the 30-year-old defender who was key in Senegal’s backline, got asked about it before Lyon’s Europa League match with Celta. He’d already posted a photo with his medal and the trophy right after the ruling. He made it clear: nothing a boardroom says can erase what happened on the pitch. He said, “Out of respect for the club and with the crucial match in mind, I don’t want to go into too much detail. You saw my reaction on social media; it’s the same today. What I can say is that nothing has changed for me compared to what we went through in January. I’ll have time to talk about it again in due course; for now, I’m going to stay focused on Lyon.”
That final in Rabat was pure chaos, even before Senegal won 1-0 on the field. Most players followed Thiaw down the tunnel, but Sadio Mane stayed, urging his teammates to come back. Brahim Diaz took the penalty but tried a Panenka, and Edouard Mendy caught it easily. The game went to extra time, Papa Gueye scored, and Senegal thought they were champions again. It didn't matter; the walk-off cost them everything. The committee called it a 3-0 forfeit.
It’s harsh for a team that believed they’d gone back-to-back. Niakhate, who started six out of seven games, is now focusing on Lyon’s European campaign. Still, that boardroom drama isn’t going away, not with the international break coming up. Senegal’s already planning to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
