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The countdown to Miami’s 2026 FIFA World Cup games is officially underway.
It’s rare for your home country to host a FIFA World Cup, but the odds of your city hosting one of those games in your backyard are infinitely slimmer. Still, that’s precisely what will happen next summer when Miami Gardens’ Hard Rock Stadium hosts not one, not two, not three, but seven matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including knockout rounds and the bronze medal final.
With millions of fans worldwide competing for tickets, understanding FIFA’s complex and, shockingly, possibly-maybe-corporate lottery system could mean the difference between watching from the stadium or your living room. Here’s what you need to know to get a shot at scoring tickets.
When Do FIFA World Cup Tickets Go on Sale?
Good question! It depends.
Your first chance to secure World Cup tickets begins Tuesday, September 10, when FIFA launches its Visa Presale Draw. This is an exclusive lottery running through September 19, and is only available to Visa cardholders. If that isn’t you, skip ahead – possibly all the way to the part where you visit StubHub to pay ten times the price, or to our forthcoming “Best Miami Bars to Watch the World Cup” list.
Got a Visa card? Cool, congrats. Here’s how the timeline works: Fans apply during the ten-day window, FIFA conducts a random draw of all applicants, and winners get notified by email around September 30. Those selected receive a specific date and time in early October to actually purchase their tickets. During this first phase, all payments must be made with Visa cards, including Visa credit, debit, or prepaid cards. FIFA emphasizes that the presale is not first-come, first-served until the actual purchase period begins.
Note that the prepaid card option could be a loophole if you’re not a Visa cardholder already.
How Does the FIFA Ticket Lottery Work?
The process starts with creating a FIFA Ticketing Account at FIFA.com/tickets. Once registered, applicants choose which matches they want to attend in Miami or any other host city via the “register your interest” tab.
Since final team matchups won’t be known until after qualification, ticket applications are tied to venues, dates, and tournament stages rather than specific teams. This means you’re betting on Miami hosting good matches regardless of which countries make it through. If you’re only rooting for the United States, maybe don’t express a massive interest in that bronze medal game. Just a hunch.
If you’re selected in the draw, you’ll be assigned a purchase slot. During that window, tickets are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis. Miss your window, and those tickets go back into the pool for other fans (and your family never forgives you).
If you don’t have a Visa card and aren’t selected in the lottery, FIFA plans multiple ticket releases leading up to the tournament’s June 11, 2026, kickoff. A general sales phase is expected after the official World Cup group draw in late 2025, when fans will know which teams are playing in Miami.
Premium Packages: Luxury, Not Lotto
Are you boujee? Do you usually pay for the Fast Pass at Disney? You’re in luck, because FIFA loves money.
For fans looking to skip the lottery entirely, FIFA’s hospitality program is selling premium packages now. These bundles include match tickets with catering, lounge access, and, in some cases, private suites.
Prices start at around $1,350 per person for a single match, with multigame and suite options going for upwards of $8,275 per person.
Which FIFA World Cup Matches Will Be in Miami?
Hard Rock Stadium will host seven matches throughout the tournament. The schedule includes four group-stage games, a Round of 32 knockout match, a quarterfinal, and the tournament’s third-place bronze final.
Here’s Miami’s complete FIFA World Cup schedule:
- Monday, June 15 – Match 13, Group H
- Sunday, June 21 – Match 37, Group H
- Wednesday, June 24 – Match 49, Group C
- Saturday, June 27 – Match 71, Group K
- Friday, July 3 – Match 86, Round of 32: Group J winners vs. Group H runners-up
- Saturday, July 11 – Match 99, Quarterfinal: Winner Match 91 vs. Winner Match 92
- Saturday, July 18 – Match 103, Bronze Final: Loser Match 101 vs. Loser Match 102
Obviously, the quarterfinal and bronze final are the biggest matches in Miami. These games are guaranteed to host some of the world’s biggest soccer nations, or, at the very least, a Cinderella story you’ll want to root for in the stands. The 2026 World Cup will be the largest in history, spanning 16 host cities across the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The tournament runs from June 11 through July 19, with the final set for MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Miami’s role as host to both knockout rounds and the bronze medal match makes it one of the tournament’s premier destinations.
Make plans now to get in line to see it all in person, or plan on paying a lot more later to step inside Hard Rock Stadium.
2026 FIFA World Cup in Miami. Monday, June 15, through Saturday, July 18, 2026, at Hard Rock Stadium, 347 Don Shula Dr., Ste. 102, Miami Gardens; 305-943-8000; hardrockstadium.com.
