How U.S. Soccer is allocating World Cup tickets – to USA supporters, but mostly paying members
SOURCE:The Athletic|BY:Henry Bushnell
U.S. Soccer has informed fans of the process to secure World Cup tickets through the federation, and it comes with plenty of caveats
U.S. Soccer will reserve most of its 2026 World Cup ticket allotment for paying “Insiders” and other stakeholders, but will allocate all of FIFA’s scarce $60 tickets to members of three independent supporters groups, including the American Outlaws.
After months of uncertainty, the U.S. federation informed fans this week that it will run multiple random draws for tickets to the U.S. men’s national team’s World Cup games. It controls 8% of the tickets for each USMNT match, and is allowed to distribute those tickets via distinct processes separate from FIFA’s broader lotteries, which are open to the general public. Most, though not all, of the 8% allotment will be sold to fans.
U.S. Soccer’s lotteries, however, add additional layers of fees and financial burden.
A majority of the U.S. Soccer tickets made available to fans — likely around 80% of those available in lotteries — will go to fans who pay between $45 and $10,000 per year for an “Insiders” membership. The $45 members get one entry into a random draw. An $85 member gets two entries; a $185 member gets three entries; a $500 member gets four entries; a $1,000 member gets five entries; and a $2,500 member gets six entries. (Those who pay $5,000 or $10,000 annually “have the right to purchase tickets and don’t need to enter the lottery,” a U.S. Soccer spokeswoman told The Athletic.)
There are also rewards for loyalty. Those who’ve been “Insiders” for five-plus years get two additional entries, and those who’ve been members for 2-5 years get one additional entry. But anyone can pay for an entry, or additional entries, via an Insiders membership, until the ticket application window closes on Jan. 13.
Non-paying “Standard Insiders,” meanwhile, will be entered into a separate draw for 10% of U.S. Soccer’s Insider allotment. The paying Insiders get the other 90%.
In outlining the rules, the federation explained: “We believe every fan should have a chance to be there for the World Cup, regardless of membership level. For fans whose long-term commitment enables U.S. Soccer to remain in service to the game, we’ve designed a draw that recognizes and rewards that support.”
Separately, there will be a third random draw for the $60 tickets that FIFA re-priced amid backlash. FIFA has said these represent 10% of each team’s supporter ticket allotment. These have been offered, per U.S. Soccer, “exclusively to members of American Outlaws, Barra76 and Sammers,” three recognized supporters groups that are not governed by U.S. Soccer but frequently work with the federation and coordinate chants at games. (Each group charges its own $30 or $25 annual membership fee.)
In an email to those members, U.S. Soccer said that granting them the $60 tickets would “recogniz[e] the passion and commitment of our most dedicated fans.”
U.S. fans from the Barra 76 and Sammers supporters groups at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (Patrick T. Fallon / AFP / Getty Images)
How the U.S. Soccer ticket lotteries work
All Insiders and members of the three groups are eligible to apply for tickets in a supporters section at any of the USMNT’s World Cup matches, though there are some caveats:
Insiders must pay U.S. Soccer $1 to “unlock” an access code. “This step helps prevent bots and duplicate accounts, ensuring access is reserved for real fans,” U.S. Soccer said in an email to them.
Even the supporters group members must apply for non-$60 tickets. For each match they want to attend, they must choose between Category 3 tickets ($265-$1,120 in the group stage), Category 2 tickets ($500-$1,940) and Category 1 tickets ($700-$2,735) as a prerequisite — knowing that if they don’t get selected for $60 tickets, they might be selected and automatically charged by FIFA for tickets at the higher price point. Even if they cannot afford the higher price, there is no way to back out. “We realize this prices a lot of members out of this World Cup and prevents them from the option of the discounted Supporters tickets,” American Outlaws leadership wrote to members on Wednesday, “which is not what we were hoping for.”
All can apply for “conditional” tickets to knockout-round games. If their applications are successful, they’ll be charged by FIFA for the tickets in February. If the USMNT then reaches the round in question this summer, they’ll get their tickets. If the USMNT falls short, they’ll get refunded, but “please note,” U.S. Soccer warned in an email, “if the U.S. does not advance, your card will not be refunded immediately. Per FIFA policy, you will receive a full refund by the end of 2026.”
U.S. Soccer will first sort through applications from supporters group members. (Those who also pay for an “Insiders” membership get an extra entry.) The federation will randomly select a few hundred per game for the $60 tickets, then put the rest into one of the two Insiders lotteries, depending on their membership tier — standard (free) or paid.
The $60 ticket allotment is seemingly around 500 per game, and there are over 20,000 members of the three supporters groups. The American Outlaws, by far the largest of the three, boast around 25,000 members alone.
All three sent membership lists to U.S. Soccer in December. (Opportunists, therefore, cannot join now solely for access to $60 World Cup tickets). Each member may apply for two tickets per match.
The ‘Insiders’ lotteries and ticket prices
“Insiders” who aren’t supporters group members, meanwhile, cannot apply for the $60 tickets. When they unlock their access code and log on to FIFA’s ticketing portal, they have three options, which are priced exactly in line with FIFA’s standard Category 1, 2 and 3 tickets.
For the USMNT’s opener, at SoFi Stadium in Southern California on June 12 against Paraguay, their prices are:
“Premier Tier”: $2,735
“Standard Tier”: $1,940
“Value Tier”: $1,120
The USMNT’s second match, at Lumen Field in Seattle on June 19 against Australia, is the cheapest of the three group matches:
“Premier Tier”: $700
“Standard Tier”: $500
“Value Tier”: $265
Prices for the third match, back at SoFi Stadium on June 25 against a to-be-determined European opponent, are:
“Premier Tier”: $910
“Standard Tier”: $750
“Value Tier”: $340
FIFA has said that the Premier and Standard tiers each represent 25% of supporters tickets, while the Value tier is now 40% and the $60 “Entry Tier” is 10%.
Fans must choose which matches and categories to apply for. Via the weighted random draws, in February, U.S. Soccer, in partnership with FIFA, will grant them all, some or none of the tickets they applied for.
Many of them were non-paying Standard Insiders. Many more have likely joined in recent months at this entry level in hopes of securing World Cup tickets. Given the ticket prices, not all will apply for every match, or even any match; but with less than 10% of U.S. Soccer’s tickets allocated to the free tier, each fan’s chance is likely slim.
Paying Insiders, on the other hand, have better odds — though not necessarily good odds. U.S. Soccer is allowing fans to join or upgrade to more expensive tiers before the Jan. 13 application deadline, “at which point Insider tiers will be locked for the draw,” the federation says.
Where will USMNT supporters be seated?
Winners of the Insiders draws will be seated in the sections designated for supporters on color-coded stadium maps released by FIFA. In Seattle, for example, those who pay the most will be directly behind one goal, while those who pay the $265 “Value Tier” price will be in a corner of the upper deck.
What the seating chart looks like at Seattle’s World Cup stadium, where the U.S. will face Australia (FIFA)
Those stadium maps, though, have been changing since FIFA initially showed them to ticket buyers in October. And they do not include the $60 entry tier. Craig Hahn, a Sammers board member, told The Athletic that he’s unsure where supporters group members who win the $60 tickets will be placed. U.S. Soccer is also unsure. Much of that will be up to FIFA.
How are other countries distributing supporters tickets?
The $60 tickets — announced by FIFA on Dec. 16, five days after this current ticket phase opened — were welcomed by supporters, but also complicated decisions for national federations trying to balance access and fairness.
Federations around the world have taken a variety of approaches. Canada Soccer, for example, allocated its $60 tickets to the Voyageurs supporters group, and ran a lottery this week that did not require Voyageurs members to also apply for more expensive tickets.
England, meanwhile, gave priority to so-called “Top Cappers” — fans who’ve attended the most national team games (friendlies, qualifiers, etc., home and away) in the recent past.
In U.S. Soccer’s Insider lotteries, there are improved odds but no guarantees for longtime members. In the supporters lottery, no preference will be given based on seniority or longevity. And in both, nothing is based on previous match attendance.
How are supporters feeling about U.S. Soccer’s process?
Hahn, the Sammers board member, said he was reasonably satisfied with U.S. Soccer’s approach. American Outlaws leadership said that news of the separate supporters lottery for the $60 tickets was “music to our ears,” but they were less pleased when they found out that members would also have to apply for more expensive tickets to be eligible. Multiple fans, in messages and calls with The Athletic, bemoaned this aspect of the scheme, calling it “problematic” and “a huge catch.”
AO leaders wrote in response: “We hear you, and we’ll keep raising all our voices the way we do in the streets, bars, and stands to continue to fight for access to this beautiful game we love.”
AO leaders also lamented the complexity of the entire process, which has been tardier and more opaque than ever before. “We understand this process has been confusing for a lot of members and for that we’re sorry,” they wrote. “This is the first World Cup that AO has not been able to control an allotment for our members so it’s also been confusing for us as well.”
