FIFA announced that it received more than 5 million ticket requests from more than 200 countries and territories in the first 24 hours after the third phase of ticket sales began for the 2026 World Cup.
The organization said in its press release that "demand from around the world reached extraordinary levels," but the announcement came amid backlash from fans about the prices for the "Random Selection Draw."
A list published by the German Football Association showed group-stage ticket prices ranging from $180 to $700, according to multiple reports. Meanwhile, the English Football Association shared pricing details with members of the England Supporters Travel Club that showed a fan interested in attending every England match through the final could expect to pay more than $7,000 in ticket fees alone.
Prices for the World Cup final in general range from $4,185 to $8,680.
"This is a monumental betrayal of the tradition of the World Cup, ignoring the contribution of supporters to the spectacle it is," fan organization Football Supporters Europe (FSE) said in a statement, per ESPN, calling the current ticket prices "extortionate."
The first 48-team World Cup will take place from June 11 to July 19 next year across Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The third wave of ticket sales came a week after the groupings were announced. FIFA said that the June 27 match in Miami between South American rivals Columbia and Portugal created the highest demand. That has been followed by Brazil vs. Morocco in New Jersey on June 13 and Mexico vs. Korea in Guadalajara on June 18.
Scotland has also been among the teams generating the highest demand as the country returns to the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. Their match against Brazil in Miami on June 24 has been the fifth most popular, just behind Ecuador vs. Germany in New Jersey on June 13.
However, Scottish supporter groups said the price of tickets -- determined by a dynamic pricing model -- will prevent many fans from attending World Cup matches.
"This is going to price out many of our fans," the Association of Tartan Army Clubs (ATAC) said, per Goal.com. "FIFA have killed the dream of our young fans, desperate to get to a World Cup."
While not addressing the pricing backlash directly, FIFA's announcement did outline that it is a not-for-profit organization.
"FIFA reinvests the revenue it generates from the FIFA World Cup to fuel the growth of football (men's, women's and youth) throughout the 211 FIFA Member Associations globally," the release stated. "In fact, FIFA expects to reinvest over 90% of its budgeted investments for the 2023-2026 cycle back into the game, with the aim of significantly boosting the development of football around the world."
Following the three host countries, the most in-demand 10 countries of residence for ticket requests for the 2026 World Cup included Colombia, England, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Scotland, Germany, Australia, France and Panama.
The Random Selection Draw ticketing phase, which operates through a random selection draw, is open through 11 a.m. ET on Jan. 13. Fans can apply for tickets by match, category and quantity. Successful applicants will be notified and automatically charged in February.
Tickets will also be available through FIFA's resale marketplace beginning Monday.
