FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread

[SuperBitMan]

Seems have many seats remaining unsold regarding the several matches not really interested yet to watch or that national teams has smaller favorite fans want to watch directly at stadium. Regarding new format has 48 teams participants I believe has several matches in World Cup 2026 not really interested to watch maybe new teams for the first time playing at World Cup.
Difference competitive when the old format of World Cup playing by 32 teams and most of the qualify as the top teams, however if many seat remaining unsold maybe FIFA giving much discount later but sadly the most highest competition not really interested how last edition in Qatar all match since group stage fully attention by fans.

In Qatar the prices were way cheaper and, as you said, almost every match was supposed to be entertaining because all the teams (or almost all) were at least good. Now we have a bunch of national teams with virtually unknown players.

Yes in Qatar the prices were way cheaper that i will agree with you, but to say we have bunch of unknown players now is what I won’t agree with you, I challenge you to mention any well known or popular player that played in the World Cup in Qatar that won’t be playing in the 2026 coming World Cup competition?
All the stars we all know will still be participating in the 2026 World Cup, for example Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Mbappé, vini Junior and the rest will still participate in this World Cup, we still have new stars that will join that didn’t participate in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar which are Lamine Yamal, Raphinha Marcus Rashford, and many others, so let’s just focus on the price being too expensive and that’s the major reason people will not buy tickets, as for important players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are still the most popular players in the world right now and they will participate in the World Cup.

[7juju]

I already knew something like this will happen. How can FIFA be complaining that there’s still many seats remaining unsold, they forgot that by increasing the amount for tickets many people won’t be able to go to the world. When there’s another option to watch the World Cup people will not bother to stress themselves in buying the ticket with that high amount, and the option is sitting at the comfort of your home and watching the World Cup matches on TV.
If FIFA wants the World Cup to be more hyped and for them to sell out all the tickets, they should reduce the price of the ticket and immediately they do that  they will sell them all, and people will start talking about the World Cup.
When you make the World Cup look like something for the rich the hype we surely reduce.

Before the world cup will start FIFA will sell out their remaining tickets. One of the reasons why the world cup hype is not that much is because the football season is still on in Europe, and other continents. Most football fans and lovers are more focused now on club football. The tide will change once the European major leagues are over and the world cup is the only tournament that's up there. Once it's that time the world cup hype will increase. I believe this is one of the major reasons why the world cup is not receiving enough publicity at the moment.

[Hanadawa]

Before the world cup will start FIFA will sell out their remaining tickets. One of the reasons why the world cup hype is not that much is because the football season is still on in Europe, and other continents. Most football fans and lovers are more focused now on club football. The tide will change once the European major leagues are over and the world cup is the only tournament that's up there. Once it's that time the world cup hype will increase. I believe this is one of the major reasons why the world cup is not receiving enough publicity at the moment.

Yes, this is one of the reasons why the 2026 World Cup isn't yet hyped. Everyone is still focused on their respective clubs, and there aren't any events related to the World Cup. Another reason, in my opinion, is that the United States isn't a country where soccer is the number one sport. As far as I remember, basketball and American football are more popular there. We'll see how enthusiastic people are when the tournament starts. The World Cup starts in four months. I'm truly excited about this tournament. And this might be the last World Cup for our two GOATs. Because in four years, I think they should have retired as football players.

[BitBakerr1]

I already knew something like this will happen. How can FIFA be complaining that there’s still many seats remaining unsold, they forgot that by increasing the amount for tickets many people won’t be able to go to the world. When there’s another option to watch the World Cup people will not bother to stress themselves in buying the ticket with that high amount, and the option is sitting at the comfort of your home and watching the World Cup matches on TV.
If FIFA wants the World Cup to be more hyped and for them to sell out all the tickets, they should reduce the price of the ticket and immediately they do that  they will sell them all, and people will start talking about the World Cup.
When you make the World Cup look like something for the rich the hype we surely reduce.

Before the world cup will start FIFA will sell out their remaining tickets. One of the reasons why the world cup hype is not that much is because the football season is still on in Europe, and other continents. Most football fans and lovers are more focused now on club football. The tide will change once the European major leagues are over and the world cup is the only tournament that's up there. Once it's that time the world cup hype will increase. I believe this is one of the major reasons why the world cup is not receiving enough publicity at the moment.

I totally agree with you, right now we have Champions League going on which is one of the best competition in the world right now and we still have other very interesting country competition going on, for example, we have Premier league we have La Liga, legue 1, Italian league and the rest of them, they are still going on, so no one will be interested in World Cup right now. Everyone is focused on all this competition that is going on when all these competition has ended then people can concentrate on World Cup because that will be the only competition going on, this does not mean that the price of ticket does not have an influence in what is going on right now in the World Cup. It also has an influence in what is going on, but I believe that what is causing the lack of hype in the World Cup is because of all the competitions that is going on right now in the world.

[KTChampions]

Before the world cup will start FIFA will sell out their remaining tickets. One of the reasons why the world cup hype is not that much is because the football season is still on in Europe, and other continents. Most football fans and lovers are more focused now on club football. The tide will change once the European major leagues are over and the world cup is the only tournament that's up there. Once it's that time the world cup hype will increase. I believe this is one of the major reasons why the world cup is not receiving enough publicity at the moment.

Are you sure about that? Given the ticket prices, I wouldn't be so sure. Not everyone can afford a ticket at that price. Who's even interested in a group stage featuring third-tier teams? Only fans from those countries, and it's unlikely they'll be able to come to the US in such numbers + buy such expensive tickets. First, we need to see how the March playoffs end to have a complete list of participants, then we can discuss interest in the tournament.

[Agbamoni]

Yes in Qatar the prices were way cheaper that i will agree with you, but to say we have bunch of unknown players now is what I won’t agree with you, I challenge you to mention any well known or popular player that played in the World Cup in Qatar that won’t be playing in the 2026 coming World Cup competition?
All the stars we all know will still be participating in the 2026 World Cup, for example Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Mbappé, vini Junior and the rest will still participate in this World Cup, we still have new stars that will join that didn’t participate in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar which are Lamine Yamal, Raphinha Marcus Rashford, and many others, so let’s just focus on the price being too expensive and that’s the major reason people will not buy tickets, as for important players Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi are still the most popular players in the world right now and they will participate in the World Cup.

Unfortunately, it will be the last World Cup we will see them in. Most especially Ronaldo and Messi. Mbappe and Vinicius Junior should not be mentioned because they are still young players with more years to participate in international tournaments.
I agree that many stars are available for this World Cup. Modric is available, Harry Kane, and many others.

[Ale88]

In Qatar the prices were way cheaper and, as you said, almost every match was supposed to be entertaining because all the teams (or almost all) were at least good. Now we have a bunch of national teams with virtually unknown players. If a ticket was, let's say, $40, a person may also decide to go to one of these matches just for the experience. But spending $200 to get the worst seat is ridiculous.

I still believe that there will be fewer one-sided matches in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, when compared to the 2022 edition. On the other hand, I think it is exciting to have new teams such as Uzbekistan and Curaçao participating for the first time in this tournament. And regarding ticket prices, most of the American fans would not mind spending $200 to attend a match. Ticket fee for NBA and NFL matches are also similar, and FIFA World Cup is a low-frequency event. I am more worried about the Visa issues, which may prevent a lot of fans from traveling to the US to attend these matches.

We are talking about the USA: many Americans don't care at all about football, or soccer, so the simple idea that these same would be be excited to spend hundreds of dollars to go watch Uzbekistan or Curaçao playing is insanely optimistic. Especially because if you ask the average American about Uzbekistan or Curaçao they wouldn't even know what you're talking about. And, personal opinion, I'd rather watch Miami or LAFC playing than Uzbekistan or Curaçao. Just because the event is the World Cup it doesn't automatically mean every match is going to be interesting. Turning on the tv? Maybe. Spending hours and hundreds of dollars for a less than mediocre match? They should be paying me...

[LUCKMCFLY]

Rather than ticket prices, I would say that the main reasons are restrictive visa regimen in the United States and the low popularity of soccer in that region. Out of the three co-hosts, only Mexico has a proper football culture. In both USA and Canada "football" means some weird sport similar to rugby, where men wear tight gayish costumes and fondle each other. Given this, local fans maybe indifferent towards attending these matches, especially if they don't involve the home team. And they have hosted around 80% of the matches in the United States. Only 13 matches are scheduled to be played in Mexico (and that too spread across various cities: Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara). 

If there's no doubt about what you're saying, Mexico has a much stronger football culture than the USA and Canada However, the USA and Canada have good teams, they've greatly improved their technique, and it's enjoyable to watch them play The problem is that to compete at a high level, they might find themselves up against stronger teams , like those in Europe and South America. Nevertheless, I really like the improvement in their football.

[slapper]

I already knew something like this will happen. How can FIFA be complaining that there’s still many seats remaining unsold, they forgot that by increasing the amount for tickets many people won’t be able to go to the world. When there’s another option to watch the World Cup people will not bother to stress themselves in buying the ticket with that high amount, and the option is sitting at the comfort of your home and watching the World Cup matches on TV.
If FIFA wants the World Cup to be more hyped and for them to sell out all the tickets, they should reduce the price of the ticket and immediately they do that  they will sell them all, and people will start talking about the World Cup.
When you make the World Cup look like something for the rich the hype we surely reduce.

Before the world cup will start FIFA will sell out their remaining tickets. One of the reasons why the world cup hype is not that much is because the football season is still on in Europe, and other continents. Most football fans and lovers are more focused now on club football. The tide will change once the European major leagues are over and the world cup is the only tournament that's up there. Once it's that time the world cup hype will increase. I believe this is one of the major reasons why the world cup is not receiving enough publicity at the moment.

I totally agree with you, right now we have Champions League going on which is one of the best competition in the world right now and we still have other very interesting country competition going on, for example, we have Premier league we have La Liga, legue 1, Italian league and the rest of them, they are still going on, so no one will be interested in World Cup right now. Everyone is focused on all this competition that is going on when all these competition has ended then people can concentrate on World Cup because that will be the only competition going on, this does not mean that the price of ticket does not have an influence in what is going on right now in the World Cup. It also has an influence in what is going on, but I believe that what is causing the lack of hype in the World Cup is because of all the competitions that is going on right now in the world.

You make a fair point. Though, I think we're letting off too easy on FIFA here. La Liga, Premier League, Serie A, UCL, all of it is running at full speed right now. And the World Cup is stting there in the corner being ignored. I feel it too. I haven't thought about the world cup in weeks until this conversation.

But even AFTER all the leagues are finished, even AFTER the UCL final in late May, even when the "nothing else to watch" window is opened... The players that are going to be walking on that field in June are going to be absolutely cooked.

Pedri, Valverde, guys like that. They're playing like 50+ matches a season already. Then you're flying them across five time zones to play in Texas heat that scientists are literally saying could produce heat exhaustion. I'm not being dramatic, that research came out in an actual journal.

And I think casual fans don't realize: Messi, Ronaldo era is done. This World Cup's star power is all up in the air because of these guys being healthy and on point. If two or three of them get injured in the group stage because their body just gave out? The tournament loses all its selling point for the neutral viewer.

Still, you are right that the hype will come. It always does. Humans have a predictable nature like that.

[dollyamo]

You make a fair point. Though, I think we're letting off too easy on FIFA here. La Liga, Premier League, Serie A, UCL, all of it is running at full speed right now. And the World Cup is stting there in the corner being ignored. I feel it too. I haven't thought about the world cup in weeks until this conversation.

But even AFTER all the leagues are finished, even AFTER the UCL final in late May, even when the "nothing else to watch" window is opened... The players that are going to be walking on that field in June are going to be absolutely cooked.

Pedri, Valverde, guys like that. They're playing like 50+ matches a season already. Then you're flying them across five time zones to play in Texas heat that scientists are literally saying could produce heat exhaustion. I'm not being dramatic, that research came out in an actual journal.

And I think casual fans don't realize: Messi, Ronaldo era is done. This World Cup's star power is all up in the air because of these guys being healthy and on point. If two or three of them get injured in the group stage because their body just gave out? The tournament loses all its selling point for the neutral viewer.

Still, you are right that the hype will come. It always does. Humans have a predictable nature like that.

All the various European competitions, which are among the most followed in Europe, still have to finish, and the players are still in the thick of the competitions, including those from other continents who all play in Europe, which is the heart of football. Once all the competitions are finished, everything will move on to the World Cup.

[Volgastallion]

Are we not gonna talk about the world cup is aproaching and we just hear the news from Mexico about drug lord being killed and all the country is on fire and in high risk?

We saw a lot of gunshots and innocent people killed in the street in one of the cities were the world cup is gonna have the last preliminary games which is Guadalajara in Jalisco state.

This is something everyone who thinks of going to the world cup at least the games on Mexico has to take care.

[Not your key not your BTC]

Before the world cup will start FIFA will sell out their remaining tickets. One of the reasons why the world cup hype is not that much is because the football season is still on in Europe, and other continents. Most football fans and lovers are more focused now on club football. The tide will change once the European major leagues are over and the world cup is the only tournament that's up there. Once it's that time the world cup hype will increase. I believe this is one of the major reasons why the world cup is not receiving enough publicity at the moment.

I agree with you that because domestic football leagues are still underway on various continents, the World Cup hype seems to be muted. However, another reason could be that the host committee hasn't promoted the World Cup enough, especially considering the high ticket prices and the security situation in the United States, which has also impacted the World Cup hype.

[Wakate]

Are we not gonna talk about the world cup is aproaching and we just hear the news from Mexico about drug lord being killed and all the country is on fire and in high risk?

We saw a lot of gunshots and innocent people killed in the street in one of the cities were the world cup is gonna have the last preliminary games which is Guadalajara in Jalisco state.

This is something everyone who thinks of going to the world cup at least the games on Mexico has to take care.

This has caused riot in the state and I hope this is not going to affect the world cup competition that is coming up soon.
I have need see different violence on the news how the cartel members are busy turning places ablaze while people are running to a safe ground where they can be protected. The Mexican government needs to fix this before it's too late.

[Adbitco]

Are we not gonna talk about the world cup is aproaching and we just hear the news from Mexico about drug lord being killed and all the country is on fire and in high risk?

We saw a lot of gunshots and innocent people killed in the street in one of the cities were the world cup is gonna have the last preliminary games which is Guadalajara in Jalisco state.

This is something everyone who thinks of going to the world cup at least the games on Mexico has to take care.

This has caused riot in the state and I hope this is not going to affect the world cup competition that is coming up soon.
I have need see different violence on the news how the cartel members are busy turning places ablaze while people are running to a safe ground where they can be protected. The Mexican government needs to fix this before it's too late.

If it continues up to few weeks to the World dates, I fell the organiser will be forced to exclude Mexico and only limit the world cup activities to take place in the US and Canada alone since it the 3 nations that's co hosting the tournament. I still feel that normality will return to the country in few weeks from now. The government will try to fix it on time after all they wouldn't want to jeopardize their chances of the world cup being played on the own ground as well as FIFA will not hesitate to withdraw from them because of safety reasons after all that's one of the major reasons why a natin can be allowed to host a tournament like this, security. When security isn't guaranteed, then everything else is useless. I believe the government will see to it.

[X-ray]

Are we not gonna talk about the world cup is aproaching and we just hear the news from Mexico about drug lord being killed and all the country is on fire and in high risk?

We saw a lot of gunshots and innocent people killed in the street in one of the cities were the world cup is gonna have the last preliminary games which is Guadalajara in Jalisco state.

This is something everyone who thinks of going to the world cup at least the games on Mexico has to take care.

It's too fast to draw such conclusion. We're still months away from world cup. So i guess the situation will clam down when we're getting closer to the world cup. There will be also intercontinental playoff games to happen next month. If it will be rescheduled due to the increase of intensity at Mexico.
So it's fine to relocate the World Cup from Mexico. let's see what's going to happen with Intercontinental play off.

[BlackBaron]

Are we not gonna talk about the world cup is aproaching and we just hear the news from Mexico about drug lord being killed and all the country is on fire and in high risk?

We saw a lot of gunshots and innocent people killed in the street in one of the cities were the world cup is gonna have the last preliminary games which is Guadalajara in Jalisco state.

This is something everyone who thinks of going to the world cup at least the games on Mexico has to take care.

It's too fast to draw such conclusion. We're still months away from world cup. So i guess the situation will clam down when we're getting closer to the world cup. There will be also intercontinental playoff games to happen next month. If it will be rescheduled due to the increase of intensity at Mexico.
So it's fine to relocate the World Cup from Mexico. let's see what's going to happen with Intercontinental play off.

What's happening right now has heightened concerns for the safety of the fans and even the players themselves. And actually this concern has been there for a long time, and now it is compounded by what is happening there. I want to see how FIFA responds to this, because after all this is a very important matter to be addressed as soon as possible.

We also as football lovers who are waiting for this biggest party will definitely regret if this World Cup becomes a World Cup that is not very comfortable and safe, although maybe we don't come there directly, but still the concern is very big.

[Slow death]

Another reason, in my opinion, is that the United States isn't a country where soccer is the number one sport. As far as I remember, basketball and American football are more popular there. We'll see how enthusiastic people are when the tournament starts. The World Cup starts in four months. I'm truly excited about this tournament. And this might be the last World Cup for our two GOATs. Because in four years, I think they should have retired as football players.

Well, I'm not a US citizen, but when Messi moved to the US soccer league I rushed to watch the games of the US league teams and even bet on some games, and something that caught my attention was that I saw the stadiums with many people, even when they were games involving teams at the bottom of the table. That's why I'm very convinced that the games will have many people watching. Look, for example, at how crowded the stadiums were during the Club World Cup games in the US.

[Ale88]

Another reason, in my opinion, is that the United States isn't a country where soccer is the number one sport. As far as I remember, basketball and American football are more popular there. We'll see how enthusiastic people are when the tournament starts. The World Cup starts in four months. I'm truly excited about this tournament. And this might be the last World Cup for our two GOATs. Because in four years, I think they should have retired as football players.

Well, I'm not a US citizen, but when Messi moved to the US soccer league I rushed to watch the games of the US league teams and even bet on some games, and something that caught my attention was that I saw the stadiums with many people, even when they were games involving teams at the bottom of the table. That's why I'm very convinced that the games will have many people watching. Look, for example, at how crowded the stadiums were during the Club World Cup games in the US.

Eh, maybe you're forgetting a small detail about the Club World Cup: they were not selling tickets at all, so during the days before the matches FIFA made several last-minute offers, basically you could enter the stadium paying only a few dollars because nobody in their right mind was willing to spend hundreds of dollars to go watch some Saudi team playing... Just check this article: $20 for 5 tickets, $4/ticket: https://frontofficesports.com/club-world-cup-messi-four-dollars-tickets/

This is probably the same thing is going to happen at the actual WC because let's be serious, who is going to spend hundreds of dollars to watch a game played by totally unknown players?

[Rabata]

Before the world cup will start FIFA will sell out their remaining tickets. One of the reasons why the world cup hype is not that much is because the football season is still on in Europe, and other continents. Most football fans and lovers are more focused now on club football. The tide will change once the European major leagues are over and the world cup is the only tournament that's up there. Once it's that time the world cup hype will increase. I believe this is one of the major reasons why the world cup is not receiving enough publicity at the moment.

Yes, this is one of the reasons why the 2026 World Cup isn't yet hyped. Everyone is still focused on their respective clubs, and there aren't any events related to the World Cup. Another reason, in my opinion, is that the United States isn't a country where soccer is the number one sport. As far as I remember, basketball and American football are more popular there. We'll see how enthusiastic people are when the tournament starts. The World Cup starts in four months. I'm truly excited about this tournament. And this might be the last World Cup for our two GOATs. Because in four years, I think they should have retired as football players.

As far as I know, the younger generation and immigrants there are very fond of enjoying football. There will definitely be a lot of excitement between these two groups of people on the occasion of the upcoming World Cup. Although American football is more popular in that country, I think that soccer is also much popular game. The galleries will definitely be full when the game starts. Especially if there are no visa complications, there will not be any empty seats in the gallery during the World Cup. The biggest football tournament in the world is going to be held in the next few months. There will definitely be a lot of excitement among Americans. And it is true that no one will want to miss what is probably the last World Cup of the two legends.

[Dump3er]

-

Eh, maybe you're forgetting a small detail about the Club World Cup: they were not selling tickets at all, so during the days before the matches FIFA made several last-minute offers, basically you could enter the stadium paying only a few dollars because nobody in their right mind was willing to spend hundreds of dollars to go watch some Saudi team playing... Just check this article: $20 for 5 tickets, $4/ticket: https://frontofficesports.com/club-world-cup-messi-four-dollars-tickets/

This is probably the same thing is going to happen at the actual WC because let's be serious, who is going to spend hundreds of dollars to watch a game played by totally unknown players?

I am sure that the Club World Cup caused problems as it wasn't fun to watch and they had problems getting rid of the tickets. I remember when I watched a not so popular game, you could see that plenty of seats were empty and it was quiet in the stadium.

And for the World Cup this is a real issue you are bringing up and remember that this World Cup will be the biggest World Cup ever in terms of the number of participants, i. e., more teams with low public support will take part and the prices are much higher I think than the FIFA charged back then for the Club World Cup. When teams like Panama and Haiti and Curacao play, I don't think they will be able to get people to go there and watch the games. Maybe they have a few emergency plans like inviting people for free if they realize they are about to face at least half-empty stadiums. I don't think it would be good representation for the USA if everyone in front of a TV can see empty stadiums.

I still can't believe these scandalous ticket prices that were posted here are true.