Entry for the presale draw for tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup opened up today – and people had a hell of a time securing seats.
On Wednesday, at 11 a.m., entry for the presale draw for FIFA 2026 tickets opened for fans 18 and older who have a FIFA account and are a Visa cardholder. However, after waiting in the online queue, many fans were met with an error message.
“Waited for 90 minutes. Filled out the form. Got the 400 Error – Bad Request….” one person shared on X.
“I’ve done it 5 times, on the phone, computer, different browsers, different accounts, all the same result…wait an hour, fill in your details and preferences/interests, submit, and bad gateway error. Almost like they should have tested it first prior to going live,” another person shared.
“Wait an hour in the online queue, then get a bad gateway error when it’s your time to enter the ticketing portal. Nice work FIFA.”
However, it seems other people had no issue entering the draw.
“Worked fine for me. I’m entered in the draw. Took about an hour to get to the login screen,” one Reddit user shared.
“I MADE IT AFTER WAITING OVER AN HOUR,” someone said on Instagram.
According to The Vancouver Sun, the website itself did not experience any technical issues or hacking incidents on its end, with FIFA reps saying the issues were caused by massive demand.
Some people are suggesting that fans enter the draw, which can be entered until next Friday, September 19, at a later date. The FIFA website clarifies that the timing of a fan’s entry into the Visa Presale Draw won’t impact their chances of success. Successful applicants will be chosen via a lottery system and will be notified about being able to buy tickets during allocated time slots on Sept. 29, with time slots starting Oct. 1.
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Those selected fans will then be able to purchase tickets for all 104 matches scheduled for the tournament, including six matches in Toronto, with tickets starting at $60 USD for group-stage games, and the most expensive ticket being an exclusive seat at the finals, set for $6,730 USD.
Now Toronto waited 30 minutes to enter the draw before selecting the “Enter” button and being prompted to create an account. After trying to verify our email several times, we were told the link had expired.
SECURING FIFA WORLD CUP TICKETS
Additional opportunities to purchase tickets will come in the following months, beginning next month through to the final match on Sunday, 19 July 2026.
Phase two of the process, AKA the Early Ticket Draw, will have a registration window set for Oct. 27-30, with purchase time slots expected to run from mid-November to early December. This phase will also include a draw.
During phase three, the random selection draw will open its registration shortly after the Final Draw for the World Cup. Fans will then have the chance to submit applications for the specific matches they want to attend, after the final draw has revealed most of the group-stage matchups.
Then, closer to the date of the tournament and throughout the games, fans will be able to buy any remaining inventory on a first-come, first-served basis.
The organization also plans to launch a secure resale website dedicated to the tournament in order to protect fans from invalid or unauthorized resale.
Toronto is set to host a total of six matches with the first taking place on June 12, 2026.
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