How to get tickets to World Cup 2026 matches in New York New Jersey

Tickets to the 2026 World Cup are among the most coveted tickets in sports. Buying them, therefore, is both confusing and costly in any host city. New York — er, East Rutherford, New Jersey — is no exception.

Aside from a very small amount of $60 tickets offered in the upper deck of MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, prices in November ranged from $215 (for some upper-deck tickets in the group stage) to $7,875 (for lower- and second-level tickets to the coveted final).

And that’s if you win the opportunity to buy via an official ticket lottery. Otherwise, your best bets are the resale market or a “last-minute” sales phase for tickets leftover after multiple lottery phases have ended.

The following is a guide to getting tickets to the eight games in East Rutherford.

How to get 2026 World Cup tickets in ‘New York New Jersey’

World Cup tickets aren’t sold by stadiums or local teams. They’re sold by FIFA, the global soccer governing body in charge of the World Cup, via a multiphase process.

That means there are multiple avenues to tickets:

The December-January lottery: Your next chance to buy tickets directly from FIFA is a “Random Selection Draw” that will open on Dec. 11 — a week after the Dec. 5 World Cup draw, when most of the 48 teams will be sorted into groups and assigned locations, dates and opponents. Between Dec. 11 and Jan. 13, you can go to FIFA’s ticketing website, sign up for a “FIFA ID,” enter the draw, and apply for tickets to specific matches. FIFA will then randomly select a minority of applicants, grant them some or all of the tickets they requested, and charge them the listed price in February.
The resale market: With two lottery phases already completed, and nearly 2 million tickets already sold, plenty are available on the secondary market. You can buy on FIFA’s official resale platform, which offers certainty that the ticket you’re buying is legitimate. You could also go to popular resale sites like StubHub, which are less trustworthy but easier to navigate — and currently offering lower prices.
Buy at the ‘last minute’: If you’ve missed out on lotteries, there will be a final “first-come-first-served” phase, or a “last-minute sales” phase, in the spring. Any ticket not sold in the lottery phases will go on sale to the general public, just as it would for most other American sporting events. It’s unclear whether FIFA will reserve some tickets for this phase or simply offer leftovers.
Hospitality: Hospitality packages, which include match tickets, are on sale to the general public. Prices at MetLife Stadium range from $2,000 for the “FIFA Pavilion” offering at group games to $5,700 for a “pitchside lounge” seat at the Round of 16 match on July 5th. (There are no offerings available on their website for the final.)
Country allocations: If you’re a fan of a specific team playing in East Rutherford, you could try to go through that country’s soccer federation. FIFA will allocate thousands of tickets per match to the two participating nations. Their national federations — e.g. U.S. Soccer or the English FA — then help sell and distribute some of those tickets via separate processes. You can go to FIFA’s website for these tickets starting Dec. 11, but each federation sets its own eligibility criteria and distribution process, according to FIFA.
How much do World Cup tickets in ‘New York New Jersey’ cost?

After some prices jumped in November, tickets to the games at MetLife Stadium cost:

Group stage:

Cat 1 $620
Cat 2 $465-$500
Cat 3 $215
Cat 4 $60-105

Round of 32:

Cat 1 $715
Cat 2 $580
Cat 3 $265
Cat 4 $185

Round of 16:

Cat 1 $980
Cat 2 $785
Cat 3 $365
Cat 4 $260

Final:

Cat 1 $7,875
Cat 2 $5,055
Cat 3 $3,450
Cat 4 $2,030

Given FIFA’s use of dynamic pricing those prices, however, are “variable,” have already changed, and will almost certainly change some more once matchups are revealed. Those involving popular teams will cost more.

What are the ticket categories at ‘New York New Jersey Stadium’?

Rather than selling specific seats in specific rows and sections, FIFA sells tickets in categories, then assigns you a seat at a later date.

If you buy a Category 1 ticket at New Jersey New York Stadium, for example, you could be placed anywhere in a section colored yellow on the map below.

The red sections correspond to Category 2. The blue sections are Category 3. The tiny green slivers at the top of Sections 306, 321, 331, 346, are the scarce Category 4 tickets.

What is ‘New York New Jersey Stadium’?

For commercial reasons, FIFA won’t let the stadium call itself its usual name at the World Cup. But “New York New Jersey Stadium” is, in fact, the venue known to most American sports fans as MetLife Stadium, where the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets play.

Can I buy tickets for all eight games in New Jersey?

In the first lottery phase, if selected, you could buy a venue-specific package that included tickets to a majority of the World Cup matches at New York New Jersey Stadium.

In the upcoming third phase, though, those packages won’t be offered, a FIFA spokesman told The Athletic. You’ll have to buy tickets match by match.

Can I get tickets through the Jets or Giants, or New York City FC or New York Red Bulls?

No. FIFA controls all ticket sales. Spokespeople for NFL teams, MLS clubs and local World Cup host committees all told The Athletic that FIFA hasn’t granted them the ability to offer any special access.

How can I watch the World Cup in NYNJ if I can’t get tickets? 

As host of the World Cup final with the most expensive get-in price of the entire to tournament, NYNJ will also feature the longest-running FIFA Fan Festival at Liberty State Park in Jersey City, New Jersey. This is an “official” fan fest, meaning it is done in partnership with FIFA and the local host committee, and runs from June 11 to July 19.

This fan fest will offer live match broadcasts, entertainment, food vendors and will have FIFA activations and official World Cup merch on sale. The NYNJ Host Committee will also be organizing a World Cup fan village at Rockefeller Center, and smaller fan zones scattered across the regions. More details will be announced at a later date.