Trump said at the White House on June 10 that organizers had never sold tickets at that level or moved them so quickly. He made a similar statement on May 27, calling it the most successful World Cup ticket-wise and saying nothing had sold so quickly before.
Most successful World Cup they've ever had. They've never sold tickets at that level. They've never sold that many tickets so quickly.
The 2026 tournament is the largest World Cup ever staged, with 48 teams set to play 104 matches in 16 host cities. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on June 10 that more than 6 million tickets had been sold, describing demand as unprecedented.
Not unprecedented by a little bit, but unprecedented by a factor of 10 or more.
By raw count, that figure exceeds recent editions. FIFA reported 3.2 million tickets sold for 2022, 2.8 million for 2018, and 3.1 million for 2014. The 1994 World Cup in the United States remains the standing attendance record at 3.5 million across a smaller format.
Those headline numbers may not tell the full story. Many 2026 matches were reportedly not sold out as of June 12, and sales have unfolded amid pricing controversy. Analysts note the expanded field means far more games and tickets are available than in prior 32 team, 64 match tournaments, which could make direct sales comparisons misleading.
There are far more games and therefore tickets to be sold.
FIFA also used dynamic pricing for official sales for the first time. Cheapest opening round tickets on FIFA's resale marketplace were listed from $242 to $960 as of June 1, well above the $60 floor FIFA set for some initial offerings. Infantino said in February that every match was already sold out, then said in April that around 5 million tickets had sold while some inventory was held back for later release.
