How do I get my hands on World Cup tickets? 

YOU CAN BUY 2026 World Cup tickets from either the FAI or from Fifa.

Should Ireland qualify, the FAI will be given 8% of the stadium’s allocation to sell for each game directly to Irish fans.

These tickets will be at a fixed price – they won’t be subject to dynamic pricing – but Fifa have yet to actually confirm the cost of these tickets. It is our understanding that the delay in announcing pricing is at least in part down to behind-the-scenes wrangling as to how much these tickets should cost. 

Demand for these tickets will naturally be very high, and though yet to be confirmed, the FAI will almost certainly reward the Irish fans with the best track record of attending Ireland games with first refusal on these tickets.

One thing to note if you are going to avail of tickets via the FAI: as it stands, you will have to buy all of the Ireland match tickets you want in advance, and thus pay the money in one lump sum to Fifa in April.

This not only includes group matches, but all knockout games too, right to the final. So if you want to a ticket to Ireland’s round-of-32 game should they qualify, you’ll have to buy the ticket in April.

Should Ireland not make it that far and instead be eliminated at the group phase, Fifa will refund your money… albeit they’ll charge you a $10 administration fee for the hassle of giving you back your cash.

This is the case for every round, so if you’re feeling super optimistic and don’t want to miss Ireland’s whole journey to the World Cup final, you’ll have to stump up the full cost right away. 

Ireland are in the World Cup play-offs following last month's heroics in Budapest Stephen Gormley / INPHO Stephen Gormley / INPHO / INPHO

I am unlikely to get tickets through the FAI – have I any other means of getting tickets? 

Yes, though unfortunately there are no guarantees you will get them, and if you do, you will have to pay up before we know whether Ireland have even qualified or not. 

Fifa have already sold two million tickets for the World Cup via ballots held in October and November. The first of these was open to Visa cardholders – what with Visa being a tournament sponsor – while the November window was for all debit/credit card holders. 

Under this process, all of those who registered an interest in buying World Cup tickets were put into a lottery, and the lucky few selected were given a time slot at which to log on and buy whatever tickets they liked, up to a maximum of 40. 

Fifa are now opening a third sales window for tickets, though this one will work differently. 

This sales process begins at 4pm Irish time today, Thursday 11 December.

To get involved, log on to fifa.com/tickets and either register for a new Fifa ID or log in to your existing ID.

The winner of Ireland's World Cup play-off route will face Mexico, Korea Republic and South Africa at the 2026 World Cup. Hector Vivas / Fifa via Getty Images Hector Vivas / Fifa via Getty Images / Fifa via Getty Images

Then follow Fifa’s instructions through to the Random Selection Draw, where you will be allowed to apply for tickets to whichever games you want, up to a maximum of four per game. There will be three different categories of tickets to purchase, ranging from Cat 1 (the most expensive) to Cat 3 (the cheapest). Fifa say these won’t be subject to dynamic pricing, so you should see the fixed cost of the ticket when applying for them.

Once you’ve selected your games, you’ll be put in a lottery for these tickets, and if you are granted some or all of your tickets, Fifa will email you the good news and charge your debit/credit card in February. (If you are going down this route, make sure to have sufficient funds in your account to cover the full price of the tickets!) 

One important thing to note – this is a pure lottery, and is not based on a first-come, first-served basis. So don’t worry about needing to register right away today: the process will remain open until 13 January. It doesn’t matter when during this window you pick your games, because it is going to be entirely down to luck. 

What happens if I end up with tickets and Ireland don’t qualify? 

This is, of course, entirely possible. The FAI will only sell to Irish fans if we qualify, but there is no means of buying tickets in the above Fifa process in full knowledge as to whether Ireland will actually be there. 

Should, say, Denmark qualify at our expense, you can either choose to travel to support our Danish friends or else offload your tickets. 

For this World Cup, Fifa have set up an official resale platform, where tickets can be sold for above face value. They are allowed to do this because this practice is legal in the USA and Canada, hence the success of companies like StubHub.

Fifa say this platform exists to ensure tickets go to football fans and that money remains with the game. (Within the game does of course mean within Fifa’s coffers, and this is going to be lucrative business for them: Fifa are taking a 15% cut from both the buyer and the seller for every ticket sold on the resale platform.)

So if you end up with a ticket for Ireland’s potential game in Atlanta against South Africa only to find out that, say, Denmark have qualified instead, you can sell that on Fifa’s resale platform.

Ireland manager Heimir Hallgrimsson. Ryan Byrne / INPHO Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO

Informed sources issue a word of warning: they are sceptical of the demand for that specific game, given the size of the stadium and the nations involved. Hence their advice is to apply for a Cat 3 ticket in the lottery if you are primarily worried about getting your money back if Ireland don’t qualify.

Reselling for above face value, however, is not legal in Mexico, so you won’t be able to post tickets for the games against South Korea in Guadalajara and Mexico at the Azteca on the Fifa resale platform. Local demand for these is extremely high for all games in Mexico, though, so you will have no issue getting your money back if you can find another means of selling the ticket.

What if I miss out on both these routes? Have I any other hope? 

You can always keep an eye on Fifa’s resale platform and stump up the potentially eye-watering prices for the tickets which will be available there. Given the demand for tickets for all games in Mexico – especially for the games involving Mexico – a word of warning that the price of these tickets could be truly bonkers. 

As the tournament comes closer, Fifa may do ticket drops for certain on a first-come-first-served basis, and should these games become available, you’ll find them on the Fifa ticketing portal you’ll have set up to access the Random Selection Draw. Given the demand likely for Ireland’s games should they qualify, however, that may be a forlorn hope. 

Written by Gavin Cooney and originally published on The 42 whose award-winning team produces original content that you won’t find anywhere else: on GAA, League of Ireland, women’s sport and boxing, as well as our game-changing rugby coverage, all with an Irish eye. Subscribe here.