Why Canada Soccer is releasing more FIFA World Cup tickets despite slow opener sales

Canada's soccer tournament opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina is a month away and reportedly has thousands of tickets unsold.

Published May 12, 2026  •  Last updated 11 minutes ago  •  3 minute read

The north-end stands constructed for the FIFA World Cup at BMO Field are pictured on Saturday, May 9, 2026. The venue will be called Toronto Stadium during the tournament. Photo by CYNTHIA MCLEOD /TORONTO SUN

Stop us if you’ve heard this one before, but there will be another “last-minute” opportunity to buy tickets for the FIFA World Cup.

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This time, however, the tickets are being released and available to purchase through a lottery run by Canada Soccer, as opposed to FIFA itself.

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Canadian soccer fans who have signed up as CanadaRED members will have the chance to enter the lottery for tickets, with a link to be sent out after 5 p.m. on Tuesday.

“Canada Soccer is offering a limited allocation of FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets for matches hosted in Canada exclusively to active CanadaRED members,” Canada Soccer posted on X, adding winners would get to “sit with Canadian fans.”

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While there are several tiers of CanadaRED membership – ranging from the free starter tier to Icon, which costs $5,000 per year – every person who signs up will be eligible to enter.

Tickets for all 13 World Cup matches being held in Canada — six in Toronto and seven in Vancouver — are included in the draw.

This lottery is just the latest part of FIFA’s plan for releasing tickets to this summer’s tournament. Pre-release sales began late last year and the governing body of the sport has upset fans with each subsequent release as ticket prices remain at mind-boggling highs.

What does FIFA say about ticket prices?

Just last week, FIFA released a new block of tickets to this summer’s tournament as FIFA president Gianni Infantino was forced to defend the high ticket prices.

Speaking at the Milken Institute Global Conference, Infantino essentially argued that the prices that FIFA set should be considered a bargain compared to U.S. college and other “top-tier” events.

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“In reality, 25% of group stage tickets are available for less than US$300,” he said. “In the U.S., you can’t attend a college game, let alone a top-tier professional event, for under $300. And this is the World Cup!

“We are in the market in which entertainment is the most developed in the world, so we have to apply market rates.

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“In the U.S., it is permitted to resell tickets as well, so if you were to sell tickets at the price which is too low, these tickets will be resold at a much higher price.”

How much will these tickets cost?

While some might have hoped that the tickets being offered through official Canada Soccer channels might come with a discount, that’s not the case.

According to a post on X by Greg Brady, a Toronto radio host, a pair of Category 1 tickets for Canada’s opening match against Bosnia and Herzegovina on June 12 at BMO Field — which will be called Toronto Stadium during the event — costs $6,373.50.

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While that price may include an extra fee, it is $100 more than the cost of two similar tickets when being purchased from FIFA’s official site.

Category 2 tickets listed in the post also are roughly $30 more than on FIFA’s site.

How many tickets are still available?

This latest – and there have been many – ticket release comes at a time when fans clearly are balking at snapping up seats at the high prices set by FIFA.

For Canada’s opener, thousands of tickets reportedly remain unsold, including several full rows of seats in both the upper and lower bowl at BMO Field.

Tickets available for sale on FIFA’s website for World Cup match between Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Screenshot

However, as of Tuesday morning, the Canada opener was the only match being held in Toronto that had more than a couple dozen seats available through the official FIFA ticket outlet – likely due to the exorbitant prices compared to the other matchups.

The majority of the seats remaining for the other games also were of the most expensive Front Category 1 variety.

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