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By Lydia Patrick
Life & Trends Reporter
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If you're hoping to get your hands on some World Cup tickets next month, you might be in luck. Thousands of tickets remain unsold across the 16 hosts cities over the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The tournament—which begins June 11 and runs through July 19—will be the largest World Cup ever staged, featuring 48 teams, 104 matches and 16 host cities across North America.
Under the expanded format, teams are split into groups A through L, with the top two sides in each group—along with the eight best third-place finishers—advancing to a new round of 32.
Despite the large scale of the competition, ticket demand has proven to be somewhat low. Newsweek have already found that resale prices for some matches have fallen dramatically, Newsweek previously found that resale prices for some matches had fallen sharply, with one group-stage game dropping below $100 and several fixtures still showing more than 1,000 tickets available.
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Analysts have pointed to FIFA’s pricing strategy as one possible reason.
“FIFA priced tickets too high for all 104 games, complete disaster, and they will be forced to drop them all greatly in next 30+ days," Ticket Talk host Scott Friedman previously told Newsweek. "A terrible overall ticketing distribution execution for the world’s biggest sporting tournament.”
Now, new data compiled by Newsweek shows which host cities currently have the largest number of unsold tickets remaining for group-stage matches.
Which World Cup Cities Still Have the Most Tickets?
Atlanta currently tops the list with 5,414 tickets still available across group-stage matches, followed by Philadelphia (4,402), Los Angeles (4,230) and the San Francisco Bay Area (4,217).
U.S. cities dominate the rankings overall, though much of the remaining inventory appears concentrated in a relatively small number of lower-demand fixtures.
For example, Philadelphia’s total is heavily driven by Curaçao vs. Ivory Coast on June 25, which alone still has 3,486 tickets available. The cheapest resale seats for that match were listed at roughly $380.
A similar pattern is visible in Houston, where Cape Verde vs. Saudi Arabia accounts for 2,979 of the city’s 3,637 remaining tickets.
Some Matches Driving Most Unsold Inventory
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Across the tournament schedule, matches involving lower-profile or less globally supported teams consistently account for the highest levels of unsold inventory.
Matches such as DR Congo vs. Uzbekistan in Atlanta (2,237 tickets remaining) and Egypt vs. Iran in Seattle (1,854 remaining) stand in sharp contrast to games involving football powerhouses.
Even within the same city, demand varies dramatically depending on the teams involved—suggesting that fixture appeal may be a stronger driver than location itself.
Big Nations Selling Fast
While thousands of seats remain available for some games, matches involving major football nations appear to be selling significantly faster.
France vs. Senegal in New York/New Jersey currently has just 58 tickets remaining, while USA vs. Australia in Seattle has only 210 available—far below the tournament average.
The figures point to a split market emerging across the tournament: marquee fixtures are being snapped up quickly, while other matches continue struggling to fill seats.
Mexico Appears Nearly Sold Out
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Mexico’s host cities are showing some of the strongest demand anywhere in the tournament.
Mexico City currently has just 11 tickets remaining across tracked fixtures, while Monterrey has only five. Even Guadalajara—Mexico’s loosest market—remains significantly tighter than most U.S. host cities.
Several matches in Mexico were showing single-digit ticket availability, with some games listing only one or two seats remaining.
Taken together, the numbers suggest demand in Mexico has remained consistently strong across nearly all fixtures, unlike the more uneven patterns emerging in parts of the United States and Canada.
Tickets Available By City
Atlanta — 5,414
Philadelphia — 4,402
Los Angeles — 4,230
San Francisco — 4,217
Houston — 3,637
Toronto — 3,407
Seattle — 3,291
Vancouver — 3,282
Boston — 1,641
Kansas City — 1,364
New York/New Jersey — 596
Guadalajara — 520
Miami — 489
Dallas — 324
Mexico City — 11
Monterrey — 5
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