USMNT World Cup 2026 Schedule

The World Cup 2026 schedule has been published and the USMNT is Group D, team 1. Their possible schedules are as follows:

Group Stage

Friday, June 12 - Los Angeles

Thursday, June 19 - Seattle

Thursday, June 25 - Los Angeles

Knockout Matches, if finish 1st in Group D

Wednesday, July 1 - San Francisco (R32)

Monday, July 6 - Seattle (R16)

Friday, July 10 - Los Angeles (Quarterfinal)

Tuesday, July 14 - Dallas (Semifinal)

Knockout Matches, if finish 2nd in Group D

Friday, July 3 - Dallas (R32)

Tuesday, July 7 - Atlanta (R16)

Saturday, July 11 - Kansas City (Quarterfinal)

Sunday, July 15 - Atlanta (Semifinal)

Knockout Matches, if finish 3rd in Group D

There are three knockout schedules USMNT could fall into if they finish as one of the top 8 third-place teams during the group stage.

Final Matches

Saturday, July 18 - Miami (Bronze)

Sunday, July 19 - NY/NJ (Final)

World Cup Ticketing History: My Experience

2026 will be the ninth World Cup ticketing process I have navigated. Hopefully, this historical recap will provide some insight into the likely procedures FIFA and US Soccer will employ for 2026 ticket sales.

1994 - While living in Biloxi, MS, I monitored classified ads in USA Today for ticket broker offers for Dallas and Orlando matches. Unfortunately, my wife fell ill the week before the matches, so we did not purchase tickets. Fortunately, we soon discovered that her mystery illness was pregnancy.

1998 - We purchased tickets listed in a local San Antonio classified ad by a Dallas ticket broker named Lou. Over the next couple of months, four tickets to three USMNT group matches became three tickets to four matches, and not all were seated together. Tickets mailed to our home became tickets picked up at a secret location in Paris, complete with a password at the door.

2002 - With matches in Korea/Japan, ticket demand was lower, and we got US Team-Specific-Tickets-4 in the FIFA lottery. Because I was stationed in Germany and tickets could not be mailed to a PO Box, we were instructed to pick up tickets at the city center office. On game day, the office directed us to the stadium box office. At the stadium, a 45-minute scramble led by multiple Korean officials uncovered an envelope that contained our group match, and we got to our seats just in time for the anthem and John O’Brien’s 4th-minute goal. Tickets for the knockout match vs. Mexico had to be printed at a kiosk once the USMNT advanced.

2006 - Initially, we did not get USMNT tickets in the FIFA Lottery. The US ticket sales were done by FAX! After hours set on redial, a fax finally went through to US Soccer, and we got USMNT tickets for the group stage. Months later, FIFA filled part of our USMNT order, a process that could not be declined or resold through FIFA. Fortunately, Lou in Dallas purchased our extra tickets. Months later, in a Frankfurt park, a group of guys were giving out frisbees with the logo of Lou’s company. When asked if Lou was there, they replied, “No. Lou got deported …he was caught with a bag of resale tickets.”

2010 - In South Africa, ticket demand was again lower, and we got USMNT Team-Specific Tickets through a FIFA lottery. Tickets were printed at a kiosk in the airport.

2014 - In 2009, US Soccer established the US Supporters Club, an effort to have an official fan membership. Since then, methods to determine ticketing priority have varied. In 2014, tiers were based on the date you joined. We joined in 2009 and won tickets in the US Soccer lottery, which were sent by mail.

2018 - With the absence of the USMNT, we bought individual match tickets through the FIFA lottery. The process was similar to other years, before and after.

World Cup 2022 Ticketing

Ticket sales for USMNT matches were similar to the two prior World Cups. Since sales for 2026 USMNT matches will likely resemble this process, I’ll go through it in some detail.

Ticket Categories

World Cup tickets are sold by category. You will not know your seat location until you get the actual ticket.

Ticket categories in Qatar were similar to prior tournaments, and WC2026 will likely follow suit.

Note: Category 4 tickets to all matches are sold to host country residents. The process has varied in the past, and little is known about possible Cat 4 sales in the US for 2026.

Ticket Types

World Cup 2022 tickets were sold in the usual fashion:

Individual Match Tickets

Stadium-Specific Tickets - multiple tickets for matches in one city.

Team-Specific Tickets - multiple tickets for one team. The packages include the three group stage games plus the number of knockout games you chose. For example, TST-4 included three group stage matches plus the first knockout match if the team qualified. If the team did not qualify for further knockout rounds, you received tickets for the team that defeated your team.

Category 4 Tickets - In 2022, approximately 96% were sold to migrants in Qatar. This category also included accessibility tickets for local and international disabled fans.

FIFA First Phase

Each lottery phase included a certain percentage of the overall tickets available for each match. This lottery phase occurred before the tournament draw, so teams for each match were not known except for the host nation. TST tickets were contingent on the nation qualifying.

FIFA Second Phase

This lottery phase occurred shortly after the final draw, so teams were set for each match.

NOTE: The major difference in past lotteries has been the timing of payment. For 2022, lottery entries did not require payment. You could decide after the lottery whether to pay for the tickets you received. Previously, a form of payment accompanied each lottery entry, and you were charged automatically.

FIFA Third Phase

This was an online, first-come, first-served phase for tickets not sold in the lotteries.

During this phase, there was also an option to resell tickets at a set price.

US Soccer Sales

A number of tickets to each match were reserved for designated supporters of each team. For USMNT tickets, the eligible supporters were US Soccer Insider members who had joined before a specific date.

Ticket applications for this lottery phase opened shortly after the final draw and required certain information that verified your US Soccer Insider membership.

NOTE: The US supporter tickets were not grouped in a specific stadium section. You selected the stadium seating category 1-3 and whether you wanted to be considered for lower categories if you do not get tickets in your preferred category. You could link your ticket order to someone else’s order, and FIFA would attempt to seat you together.

NOTE: Each nation establishes its own procedure for ticket sales to its supporters. US Soccer has been using a weighted lottery. For Qatar, the selection was weighted by staging multiple lotteries based on Insider membership levels.

World Cup 2026 Ticketing

Ticket Sales Dates

The only ongoing ticket sales for World Cup 2026 are Hospitality Ticket deposits for specific stadiums managed by FIFA partner, On Location.

No ticket sales dates have been announced, but given historical precedent and the current World Cup 2026 cycle, here are my estimates for each phase.

FIFA Phase 1

According to reports, this lottery phase will likely begin after the FIFA Club World Cup ends in the summer of 2025.

FIFA Phase 2

This lottery phase typically follows the Final Draw, which is usually in December. One caveat with this cycle is that UEFA will not complete qualification until March 2026. However, given the experience of Qatar 2026, this lottery phase will likely occur between December 2025 and January 2026, with the final UEFA spots contingent on qualification.

FIFA Phase 3

This first-come, first-served phase will likely occur in early Spring 2026.

US Soccer Ticket Sales

The sale to US Soccer Insiders will likely occur with all other nations’ supporter sales after the Final Draw in December 2025.

NOTE: For the World Cup 2022 ticket lottery, to be considered for some US Soccer Insider tiers, you had to be at that tier as of December 31, 2018. So, it is best to establish your Insider membership level as soon as possible.

Category 4 Tickets

Little is known about the sale of these tickets…more to follow.

Ticket Categories/Pricing

Although the official ticket categories and prices have not been announced, the categories and prices outlined in the 2026 Bid Book are similar to recent World Cups and should be a reasonable estimate for budgeting.

NOTE: the following statement in the Bid Book sheds some light on the potential availability of Category 4 tickets, “a smaller percentage was made available for Category 4 (7%), given the unique demands of our ticketing markets.”

Ticket Supply/Demand

Over the coming months, I will try to gather any available data to provide further insight, but here are a couple of facts to put things in perspective.

FIFA Phase 1 ticket sales for Qatar 2022 had over 23 million applications.

According to a February 2023 podcast, there were approximately 300K US Soccer Insider members at that time.

WHAT TO DO NOW?

1. Register for FIFA ticket information

2. Join US Soccer Insiders

3. If you send me a Contact Form message referencing World Cup tickets, I’ll do my best to notify you when new information becomes available.