WASHINGTON, Sept. 3 (Xinhua) -- FIFA announced Wednesday that the first round of ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will open on Sept. 10, 2025, with group-stage tickets starting at 60 U.S. dollars and final tickets priced as high as 6,730 U.S. dollars.

For the first time, the tournament will use dynamic pricing. "I think the message is 'Get your tickets early,' especially if you know where you will be, because you live in that city, or you're a fan of the three hosting nations, and then you know already when and where they will play," said Heimo Schirgi, the World Cup's chief operating officer.

"So that's the message: 'Get your tickets early,' because anything could happen," he added.

Given the expected high demand, tickets will be released in phases. The first phase, the "Visa Presale Draw," requires fans to register a FIFA Fan ID on the official website. Only Visa cardholders over the age of 18 will be eligible to apply.

The registration window will run from Sept. 10-19, with successful applicants notified by email starting Sept. 29 and assigned purchase time slots beginning Oct. 1. While tickets for all 104 matches will be put on sale, receiving a timeslot does not guarantee availability.

FIFA said the second and third phases of sales will also follow a lottery system, scheduled for Oct. 27-31 and after the Final Draw on Dec. 5, 2025.

Closer to the tournament, fans will be able to purchase any remaining inventory on a first-come, first-served basis.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be held across 16 cities in the United States, Canada and Mexico from June to July 2026, marking the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 teams. ■