FIFA World Cup presale tickets sold out especially fast in Vancouver and Toronto
The first phase of FIFA World Cup ticket buying has seemingly come to a close, as fans are beginning to receive rejection emails.
“Unfortunately, your entry was unsuccessful, and you have not been allocated a time slot to purchase tickets during this sales phase,” was the phrasing from FIFA.
Over 4.5 million fans from 216 countries entered the presale draw according to FIFA, so if you received a rejection email, you’re not alone.
I just checked my email and found this from FIFA. #unsuccessful 😔😠
I’ll try again with the next presale. pic.twitter.com/mtbhpBpSSA— Christine B. (@Christine_B_444) October 15, 2025
We learned through this process that FIFA World Cup tickets in Canada were a particularly hot commodity.
When we checked on Monday, only five of the 16 host cities had absolutely no tickets available for purchase, and that included both of Canada’s host cities.
None of the seven matches scheduled for Vancouver, or the six matches set for Toronto, had tickets available for purchase. Neither were any of the matches scheduled in New York, Miami, or Seattle.
Other cities showed “limited availability,” including for matches scheduled in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Boston, Philadelphia, and Atlanta in the United States, as well as the three Mexican host cities of Mexico City, Monterrey, and Guadalajara.
We also learned that the starting price that FIFA advertised was a bit of a farce, at least when it came to matches hosted in Vancouver and Toronto.
FIFA trumpeted the fact that tickets would be available for just US$60 (C$80), calling it an “accessible entry point to the tournament.”
Those tickets were indeed available in Category 4, shown in dark green on the maps below, but only for a select few. You’ll have to look closely to see it, as the sections are laughably tiny for matches in Vancouver at BC Place.
Price categories for BC Place in Vancouver (FIFA)
The same goes for BMO Field in Toronto.
Price categories for BMO Field in Toronto (FIFA)
Category 1 tickets cost more than $500 for matches in Vancouver and Toronto. Category 2 tickets are over $400, while the majority of tickets in Category 3 are over $200.
All is not lost if you are still hoping to get your hands on World Cup tickets going forward though.
This was just the first presale lottery, with many tickets held back for subsequent draws. The “early ticket draw” takes place Oct. 27-31, before the “random selection draw” in mid-December. Canada Soccer is also holding its own ticket lottery through a separate process.
The FIFA World Cup is taking place from June 11 to July 19, with the United States, Mexico, and Canada sharing hosting duties. The U.S. last hosted the men’s World Cup in 1994, while Mexico has hosted in 1970 and 1986. This is Canada’s first time hosting, following a successful job putting on the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2015.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will include a record 48 participating nations. To date, 28 countries have qualified.