WC2026 Planning

Here's our group stage schedule:

USMNT WORLD CUP GROUP STAGE SCHEDULE 🇺🇸

Game 1: June 12, LA
Game 2: June 19, Seattle
Game 3: June 25, LA.

— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) February 4, 2024

Does anyone know how far in advance you can book hotels in cities like Seattle? I'd like to plan to attend the US' 2nd group stage match in Seattle at minimum and would love to book a hotel before things get crazy.

Also, newbie question, but as someone who has never attended a World Cup match in person in my life (I've traveled for away WCQ but bought "aftermarket" tickets off of StubHub), what is the best way to get myself into a "queue" to secure USMNT group stage tickets once they are available? Should I sign up for American Outlaws, a USSF official thing, or any other tips would be appreciated as a first-timer for these types of matches. Thanks in advance!

 

No one really knows about tickets right now. My best bet is for you to join US Soccer. The highest tier you can afford. They’ve usually gotten first crack at packages.

 

Based on all recent WCs, this will have some changes maybe.. but none of it will be very clear for another year at least.

General overview:

FIFA allocates x% of the stadium capacity to the federations that are playing that game. The Feds then allocate in anyway they choose.

USSF has used their paid Insider membership to hold weighted lotteries based on tier level. I assume they'll do the same.

AO/Sammers won't have any access to tickets. Just the paid USSF Insiders members.

For the other 80% of the stadium, FIFA will hold a general lottery that you can enter for any of the games, and of course most are sponsor tickets.

Hotels. Usually 12 month out. To test that just go to any hotel website and see how far out u can book.

 

Great - thanks for the all the insight, @marianelah and @wixson7 ! I'll plan to sign up for the USSF Insider program and set a calendar reminder to check hotels 12-13 months out.

 

Never have been an Insider but I have watched USMNT/USWNT several times in person.

Sounds like for USMNT WC tix, the main two options would be Insider or aftermarket like StubHub. Correct?

So with Insider the middle tiers are $185 VIP or $500 Supporters Circle. VIP being a lot more affordable, but what are the practical chances that’s a high enough level to actually score a ticket or two?

 

All this is without FIFA announcing the official ticketing method for 2026; just our ticketing history. 2026 is a historic world cup, 105 games in 1 continent. FIFA has never had a match schedule TV show 2.5 years before the world cup. So we may get some surprises.but USSoccer is the host...

 

Good point. We haven't hosted for 30+ years so there's really no really good precedent to inform people's judgment. However, there is the experience of WC'22 in Qatar, so maybe people could speak to the ticketing process and how effective the Insider tiers were for that, assuming they existed then.

 

My opinion: Qatar was the world cup where supporters were intentionally abandoned because of politics. the AO guy that went as a fan whatever was tarred and feathered. Euros abandoned Qatar for the same reason.. try 2014 as a marker. Russia was persona non grata as well; and we didn't qualify.

 

For the Qatar WC, more or less every US Soccer Insiders member who applied for tickets got them. The US allocation was not sold out except for maybe the England game.

This will obviously be different for 2026. I think if you pay to join a higher tier (the $500/year level and up), you’ll have a very good chance of success in the lottery.

Though playing in LA is just about the worst thing I can imagine for the common folk trying to get tickets. The opening match will be a massive celebrity event - a lot of non-fans with money or connections who are just there for the show. Think Super Bowl.

 

StubHub would be a last resort, if you still don’t have tickets in the weeks leading up to the match. Before that, the best options are a paid US Soccer Insiders membership and to apply in the general FIFA lotteries. And then the official FIFA resale platform after those. USSF might only get the standard 8% of capacity behind the goal, or FIFA could give them a bigger block since it’s the host country and we know ahead of the draw which matches they’ll be in. I think this was the case for Brazil’s and Russia’s home matches.

There has always been separate FIFA lotteries for host country residents and international fans. Not sure the percentage allocated to each, but just stay on top of it and make sure you apply in every phase.

 

OK, but was the same Insider tiers and ticketing process used for 2014? That's 10+ years ago. I was simply try to understand if there's any known experience/wisdom from using this Insider ticketing process, and if so whether it's likely that joining the middle-ish tier of VIP actually is enough to have a chance of snagging a ticket.

Ah, and now I see that this got a few of the kind of replies that I was seeking:

 

Now THIS is a helpful reply! Thank you so much. As you can tell I have zero familiarity with the whole process.

 

Is Stubhub and other secondary sites even a realistic option? I am going to sound dated, but in 2014 they put the name of the person on the ticket. Not sure what advances they might have made for 2018 and 2022. IE did you have to show your ID to match the name on the ticket? (FWIW you didn't have to match the name to the ticket in 2014)

Just have to think that if FIFA can make themselves the only secondary market they would do so. Especially this World Cup, as there is lots of $$$ to be made off of the fans.

 

Names on tickets have never been checked/enforced at the stadium, so stubhub will work fine and the FIFA portal allows you to easily transfer the tickets to another person. And they won't do paper tickets anymore (didn't in Qatar and won't in future), outside of the suites/vip probably.

So yes, secondary market will be there and ready for business, but FIFA trialed their own resell market in Qatar.. it was..umm..interesting but they'll iron those problems out and have a closed face/resell marketplace for sure.

 

From those that have gone..our main recommendation is:

1) join the paid US Soccer Insider's membership at a level of your choice. Obviously the higher level the better odds.

2) signup on Fifas website to get ticket notifications and have an account setup. Its free. This will let you join the general lotteries.

3) keep an eye and a few other bigsoccer forums. There's a solid community of us that will share everything as we hear and help with tips/tricks/etc.

Fifas WC ticketing process is unlike any traditional event/concert. Be prepared for alot of unknowns.

 

Yep. And buckle up!

 

For completeness, I would like to add that there is one more route to getting tickets: Hospitality Packages, aka VIP packages.

If 2026 is anything like previous WCs, then Hospitality Packages will be the first tickets available, often a few months before any other ticket sales phase starts.

But be prepared to pay 4 - 6 times what you would pay for non-VIP tickets, and that's for the lowest level VIP ticket package. Oddly, for some super high demand games, this can actually be cheaper than after market tickets; this was the case for Argentina v Mexico in Qatar.

What do you get for these packages? Well it varies WC to WC, but expect your own entrance, generally better seating, after that it is anyone's guess, but at the most basic level package, you probably don't get much beside the ticket.

 

Cheetah living the high life over here..

Obviously there are many other ways to get tickets and the premium packages that FIFA offers aren't a bad option.. especially in Doha as it was the only place to drink alcohol in the stadium... but that's another conversation for another day. ha.

 

For high demand matches you will very likely get nosebleed seats. Located in the middle of the field up to maybe the corner flag. The Lower level Hospitality will be for sponsors and FIFA. Be prepared when your seat assignment is published. But you will be inside the stadium with drinks and some perks.

 

Hospitality packages from FIFA onsale late 2024.
Game tickets from FIFA onsale late 2025.

In line with the past few cups.

 

https://www.stubhub.com/football-wo...tickets-6-12-2026/event/153020709/?quantity=2

 

No one has tickets. This is just Stubhub testing the market

 

What happens if you buy them?