Sawt Falasteen - New batch of World Cup tickets to go on sale

Tickets to games across the United States, Mexico and Canada will be available via FIFA's website "on a first-come, first-served basis" from 1500 GMT, the sport's governing body said in a statement.

"Along with this set of tickets, additional tickets will continue to be released to the public on an ongoing basis up until the final on Sunday, 19 July (subject to availability)," it said.

The latest batch of tickets comes after FIFA President Gianni Infantino said more than five million tickets have already been sold to the tournament, which begins June 11.

The most tickets ever sold previously for a World Cup was 3.5 million, when the event was last held in the US back in 1994.

Based on the capacity of the 16 stadiums hosting this tournament, approximately seven million tickets are expected to be available in total for the 2026 edition.

FIFA has come under fire for the sky-high prices of tickets, with the most expensive ticket for the World Cup final surpassing $10,000, excluding the re-sale market.

Organizers have defended the pricing of tickets, which Infantino attributed to "crazy" demand, and used a "dynamic pricing" strategy where prices are automatically raised for high-demand matches.

On Tuesday, the Athletic reported that ticket sales were lagging for the United States team's high-priced World Cup opener against Paraguay in Los Angeles -- a claim disputed by FIFA.

"Ticket sales for the FIFA World Cup remain strong with a high degree of interest for all matches," a FIFA spokesperson told AFP.

C.Hamad--SF-PST