The World Cup is the biggest betting event on earth, and MetLife Stadium is hosting the 2026 World Cup Final. That means that bettors in New Jersey and the Tri-state area could get a rare chance to wager on the championship game in person.
A ten-day entry period to apply to buy tickets for the FIFA World Cup 26 began when a Visa Presale Draw opened on September 10 (via FIFA.com/tickets). As FIFA’s “Official Payment Technology Partner,” Visa cardholders can apply for a chance to buy tickets. The entry period runs until 11:00 AM ET on Friday, September 19.
FIFA Ticketing will begin notifying sign-ups of their results by September 29: If successful, you’ll get a date and time slot to purchase tickets (within 48 hours, subject to availability), starting on October 1. FIFA recommends checking your spam folder, so you don’t miss out on securing your time slot.
How to enter to buy FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets
Now that the 2026 FIFA World Cup Visa Presale Draw is open (until September 19), here’s how to apply:
- Visit FIFA.com/tickets.
- If you already have a FIFA ID, tap the registration button, sign in and follow the on-screen prompts to complete your FIFA ticketing account.
- If you don’t have a FIFA ID, sign up and create your FIFA ticketing account.
- Register for the Visa Presale Draw.
Note: To qualify, you must have a “valid, unexpired Visa debit card, credit card or reloadable prepaid card enabled with 3D Secure.”
Additional opportunities for buying tickets, which start at $60 for Group Stage Matches, will be available in future sales phases. Visit FIFAworldcup.com/hospitality to learn about ticket-inclusive hospitality packages. (They’re not cheap!)
Stop by our betting page to learn about how to wager on American or European football at legal online sportsbooks like DraftKings, BetMGM and FanDuel.
FIFA World Cup 2026: Match schedule
The “North American 2026 bid” whittled down the internationally-renowned tournament to 16 venues, expanding from 32 to 48 teams.
Instead of eight groups of four teams in a round-robin tournament style, and a knockout stage of 16 teams at the 2022 World Cup (an edition that lasted for 24 years, starting in 1998), the 2026 FIFA World Cup will look much different.
The 104-game match schedule of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will open on Thursday, June 11, 2026, with Mexico (A1) playing host at Estadio Azteca Mexico City.
- ⚽ Group Stage Matches: June 11 – June 27
- ⚽ Round of 32: June 28 – July 3
- ⚽ Round of 16: July 4 – July 7
- ⚽ Quarter-Finals: July 9 – July 11
- ⚽ Semi-Finals: July 14 – July 15
- 🏆 Final: July 18 – July 19
In March 2023, the FIFA Council approved the 2026 FIFA World Cup match schedule, amending 16 groups of three teams to 12 groups of four. Groups A – L (48 teams) will play 72 matches to determine who moves on to the Round of 32.
With 16 host cities, here are three regions for the full match schedule:
- Western Region: Vancouver (CA), Seattle, San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles
- Central Region: Guadalajara (MX), Mexico City (MX), Monterrey (MX), Houston, Dallas, Kansas City
- Eastern Region: Atlanta, Miami, Toronto (CA), Boston, Philadelphia, New York New Jersey
The top two teams from each group and eight best third-place teams will move on to the Round of 32, per their rankings by points:
- 3 points for a win
- 1 point for a draw
- 0 points for a loss
If two or more teams are tied on points at the end of the Group Stage Matches, they’ll use these tiebreakers:
- ➖ Goal difference (goals scored minus goals conceded)
- 🥅 Goals scored (total goals scored in all group matches)
- ⚽ Head-to-head results (points from matches between tied teams)
- ⚽ Head-to-head goal differences (from head-to-head matches)
- 🟨 Fair play points (based on yellow/red cards)
- ⚽ Drawing of lots (by FIFA, as a last resort)
While the Bronze Final will take place in Miami on July 18, the Final game of the 2026 World Cup is scheduled for Sunday, July 19, at the MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, NJ.
Prior to the Final game, there will be 5 Group Stage Matches, 1 Round of 32 game and 1 Round of 16 match also held at MetLife Stadium during the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifiers
As the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers are underway, here’s a look at the availability of slots per the continental confederations:
- AFC (Asia): Eight direct spots + one FIFA Play-Off Tournament place
- CAF (Africa): Nine direct spots + one FIFA Play-Off Tournament place
- Concacaf (North and Central America, plus the Caribbean): Six direct spots + two FIFA Play-Off Tournament places
- CONMEBOL (South America): Six direct spots + one FIFA Play-Off Tournament place
- OFC (Oceania): One direct spot + one FIFA Play-Off Tournament place
- UEFA (Europe): 16 direct spots
While the United States, Canada and Mexico already occupy three Concacaf spots as co-hosts, here are the other teams that have qualified for the FIFA World Cup 2026 so far:
- AFC: Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordon, South Korea, Uzbekistan
- CAF: Morocco, Tunisia
- CONMEBOL: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay, Uruguay
- OFC: New Zealand
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