As the 2026 FIFA World Cup draws close - with about 100 days remaining before the tournament opens across the United States, Mexico and Canada - enthusiasm for tickets is intense even amid growing unease among supporters. Fans are confronting a combination of steep ticket prices, complications tied to cross-border travel and heightened concerns over political and security developments that have reverberated across the tournament's prospective audience.
Organisers reported strong early uptake: nearly two million tickets were purchased during the first two sales phases, and overall interest was so strong that available tickets were oversubscribed by more than 30 times. That level of demand, officials say, positions the event to generate substantial revenue for the sport's governing bodies. At the same time, the mechanics of attending matches in a tournament staged across three countries present logistical and financial hurdles for supporters who want to follow their teams.
Several recent incidents have contributed to fan anxiety. In the international arena, U.S.-Israeli strikes against Iran - and the broader tensions that followed what was described as a U.S. attack on Iran - have alarmed some potential attendees. Iran is scheduled to play group stage matches on U.S. soil during the tournament, a fact that has sharpened attention on the potential for broader fallout.
Domestically, enforcement actions by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have been cited as a source of concern for fans planning to cross borders during the tournament. In addition, violent unrest that erupted near the Mexican host city Guadalajara after the death of a top cartel figure has raised safety worries among supporters considering travel there.
"Im afraid I might not be allowed into the country, Ive decided to fly to Canada at most, but not to the USA," said German fan Tom Roeder. "I hope that at least the issue of war with Iran does not reach North America. At least not in a way that affects us personally."
Political leaders and fan groups have offered differing perspectives on how these developments are influencing ticket-buying and attendance. Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum, stated there was "no risk" to supporters travelling to the country. Meanwhile, Adrian Nunez Corte, leader of Unipes, a Spanish fans' association, said the political and security issues have produced concern but have not uniformly dampened willingness to purchase tickets.
Corte noted that Spanish fans living in affected areas helped to calm initial alarms, and he observed that there is not a general state of alarm regarding U.S. immigration policy. Still, he emphasised that travellers are taking visa requirements seriously to reduce the chance of problems, particularly given that many supporters will move between the U.S. and Mexico as they follow match schedules.
Economic considerations are compounding the picture. Ticket prices have been singled out repeatedly as a deterrent that will limit how many matches an average fan can attend. "The price of tickets has been a major drawback, particularly affecting the number of matches each fan will attend, as well as the distances between venues and the costs involved," Corte said, pointing to the combined burden of ticket costs and travel between 16 host cities spread across three countries.
Observers within the sport expect exceptional commercial returns. One industry commentator, Edgley, described demand for the 2026 tournament as the strongest he has experienced and predicted record revenues for FIFA, noting that member national federations would be among the financial beneficiaries.
That commercial success is partly driven by a robust secondary market where tickets are resold above face value. Resale is legal in both the United States and Canada, and the premium being charged on aftermarket platforms has been described as substantial. FIFA defended its ticketing approach by distinguishing itself from profit-driven third-party marketplaces and underscoring that revenue from the ticketing model is reinvested in football. A FIFA spokesperson said the organisation expects to reinvest more than 90% of its budgeted investment for the 2023-2026 cycle back into the game.
Fan organisations report that resale prices have climbed steeply compared with previous cycles. Mehdi Salem, vice-president of the French supporters association Les Baroudeurs du Sport, said his group is seeing increases of more than 200% relative to what they were told in 2018 by both the French federation and FIFA. The spike in costs has affected attendance plans: Salem said the group, which counts roughly 400 members, will send only 100 to the tournament - a sharp decline he attributes to ticket prices and the political environment in the United States.
"We feel like this World Cup will not really be a peoples World Cup, but rather an elitist World Cup," Salem added, reflecting a sentiment among some supporters that access is being narrowed by price and policy dynamics.
The convergence of intense demand, high secondary-market pricing and geopolitical and domestic security concerns is shaping how supporters approach the 2026 World Cup. While organisers and some national leaders seek to reassure travellers, many fans are recalibrating plans - changing destinations, prioritising fewer matches or withdrawing entirely - in response to the combined pressures of cost and perceived risk.
How these dynamics ultimately affect stadium attendance patterns, travel flows between host cities and the distribution of revenue among football stakeholders will depend on whether ticket availability, regulatory measures and the broader security situation evolve in the months leading up to the tournament.