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Thanks to the recent schedule announcement, it’s safe to say that World Cup fever has finally hit North Texas. AT&T Stadium will host nine matches of the 2026 FIFA spectacle, with several of them featuring global powerhouses England, Argentina and Croatia. And for the first time, fans can take their shot at securing tickets to specific matches featuring their favorite teams at the World Cup venue of their choice.
The random selection draw began on Thursday and runs through January 13. To clarify, this is not where you can purchase tickets immediately. Due to the reported highest demand for World Cup tickets in history, fans are now able to enter for the chance to purchase tickets. But unlike the previous couple of rounds of ticket availability, shoppers now have important information to target their efforts with.
Entering the random selection draw is simple, but as Tom Petty famously sang, the waiting is the hardest part. Although you’ll need to pick which match you want tickets for and slap down your credit card info now, the lucky ones won’t know until early February that their World Cup seats are secured.
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Tickets for the matches at AT&T Stadium are available in the random selection draw, ranging from $220 on the low end to $700 for “Category 1” seats. The historic demand and use of dynamic pricing mean that prices for the 2026 World Cup are significantly higher than those for the 2022 edition. On Thursday, ESPN reported that soccer supporter groups from around the world have expressed outrage over the increased prices.
Although we’re not sadists, we found that the average ticket price for the 1994 World Cup, the last time the tournament was held in the U.S., was around $88.
Of course, people traveling to North Texas for the tournament will need to secure more than match tickets. A mad dash for lodging has already begun, with short-term rentals on websites like Airbnb and VRBO already being snapped up in anticipation. Short-term rentals didn’t exist in 1994, at least not in the way they do now, but when the Cotton Bowl hosted a few of the ‘94 World Cup matches, surprisingly, the city’s hotels weren’t exactly packed.
To enter the FIFA 2026 World Cup random selection draw, you must be 18 or older to enter.
