CORAL GABLES, Florida: FIFA said Wednesday it has received more than 500 million ticket requests for this year’s World Cup.
Soccer’s organizing body said outside the host United States, Mexico and Canada, the most requests were made by fans residing in Germany, England, Brazil, Spain, Portugal, Argentina and Colombia.
FIFA is asking for up to $8,680 per ticket. After criticism, FIFA said last month it will offer $60 tickets for every game to the 48 national federations in the tournament, and the federations will decide how to distribute them to their fans who attended their previous games.
It said the most-requested match in the third sales phase, which ran from Dec. 11 through Tuesday, was Colombia vs. Portugal on June 27 at Miami Gardens, Florida; followed by Mexico vs. South Korea on June 18 at Guadalajara, Mexico; the final on July 19 at East Rutherford, New Jersey; the opener between Mexico and South Africa on June 11 at Mexico City; and a second-round match on July 2 at Toronto.
FIFA said it will notify people about their ticket applications no earlier than Feb. 5 and will allocate them randomly for matches in which demand exceeds availability.
FIFA says it has received more than 500 million ticket requests for 2026 World Cup
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FIFA says it has received more than 500 million ticket requests for 2026 World Cup
Morocco achieve record FIFA ranking, Senegal rise to 12th
- Morocco moved up three spots in the January ranking to eighth
- The 2022 World Cup semifinalists’ previous best was 10th in April 1998
RABAT: Morocco have achieved their highest FIFA men’s world ranking, rising to eighth, despite losing the Africa Cup of Nations final to Senegal, who climbed to 12th on Monday.
Morocco were beaten 1-0 after extra time by Senegal in the decider in Rabat on Sunday, but the hosts had a chance to win the trophy with a last-gasp penalty at the end of regulation time.
However, Brahim Diaz squandered the kick after having to wait some 14 minutes for the Senegal players to return, as they walked off the field to protest the penalty decision.
Morocco moved up three spots in the January ranking to eighth. The 2022 World Cup semifinalists’ previous best was 10th in April 1998.
The highest ranking achieved by an African team was Nigeria’s fifth in April 1994, while Egypt posted the best ranking among Arab nations when they reached ninth in July 2010.
Champions Senegal, who emerged victorious for a second time in the last three editions, moved up seven spots to reach their highest-ever ranking. Their previous best was 17th, achieved in 2024.
The AFCON results have had a huge impact on the ranking of African teams, as several positions have shifted.
Bronze medallists Nigeria (26th) were the team that gained the most points, collecting 79.09 points to move up 12 spots, the same as Cameroon (45th), making them the biggest climbers.
Egypt, who reached the semifinals of the Africa Cup of Nations, climbed four places to 31st, three spots behind Algeria.
Gabon, who were eliminated in the group stage, lost 44.97 points to become the team that lost the most points, dropping to 86th. Equatorial Guinea, meanwhile, suffered the biggest fall, sliding 10 spots to 107th.
European champions Spain kept top spot, ahead of World Cup holders Argentina. France are third, followed by England, Brazil, Portugal and the Netherlands, with no change in the ranking of the top seven teams.
