Luck needed to buy Canada’s World Cup game tickets, but odds improve the more you pay

Argentina's Lionel Messi lifts the trophy after winning the World Cup final soccer match between Argentina and France at the Lusail Stadium in Lusail, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022. (AP Photo/Martin Meissner)

Canada Soccer’s revamped fan membership program relaunched Tuesday, opening the door to its ticket allotment for Canada’s games at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Exact details, from timing to pricing, have yet to be announced. But you have to be a member of the CanadaRED program to be part of the ticket lottery.

The new program is an expanded version of the one used to distribute Canada game tickets at the 2022 tournament in Qatar — the Canadian men’s first trip to the soccer showcase since 1986.

There are seven tiers, ranging from free to $5,000 a year, with tax receipts available for the charitable component of each contribution. A separate lottery will be held for each of Canada’s matches, with an equal number of tickets assigned to a draw at each CanadaRED tier. Members unsuccessful in the lottery at their level become eligible for the lottery at lower tiers.

In other words, the higher the tier, the better the odds of getting a ticket — and the more perks. Members of the top Icon tier get a gift worth $200 as well as two “fieldside national team matchday” experiences a year, among other benefits.

Tickets to Canada’s group games — the 28th-ranked Canadian men open play June 12, 2026, at Toronto’s BMO Field before heading to Vancouver for matches June 18 and 24 at B.C. Place Stadium — will be scarce for home fans.

Canada Soccer gets eight percent of the “purchasable inventory” for each Canada game at the World Cup, distributed across different price categories.

With a tournament capacity of 45,000 for BMO Field and 54,000 for B.C. Place, eight percent translates to 3,600 and 4,320, respectively. But the number available for Canadians in the CanadaRED lottery will be smaller, with tickets earmarked for FIFA, sponsors, media and premium hospitality packages cutting into inventory.

CanadaRED members will be able to request conditional tickets for possible Canada knockout-round games.

There are two other ways Canadians can get tournament tickets.

FIFA, which expects 6.5 million fans to attend the expanded 48-team, 104-match competition across Canada, Mexico and the U.S., has announced its worldwide ticket lottery will open Sept. 10. There is no word yet on ticket pricing, but in 2022, tickets for non-Qatar residents ranged from $94.50 for the cheapest group-game option to $2,214 for the most expensive seat at the final.

Hospitality packages for the tournament are already available, starting at $2,500 for a single game.

Canada Soccer first announced details of the revamped CanadaRED program in March.

There are two free tiers (Starter and Community, with the latter for registered players, referees, coaches, and volunteers), and five paid tiers — with levels at an annual cost of $50 (Squad), $150 (Premier), $500 (Champion), $1,000 (Legend) and $5,000 (Icon).

Kevin Blue, Canada Soccer’s CEO and general secretary, says the revamped program is part of the organization’s fundraising efforts.

“We’re in a world where traditional revenue streams like government support are not projected to grow at the same rate as the sport is growing and the investment requirements are growing,” Blue said. “So we have to diversify revenue, and this is one of the ways we are doing it. But we are trying to do it in a way that we think is reasonable, fair, balanced and accommodating for stakeholders that have been loyal and have been around for a long time.”

“We’re trying to handle a very, very complicated and unprecedented situation in the most reasonable way possible,” Blue added.

To that end, the Community tier also covers longtime members of the Voyageurs supporters group and the most capped national team alumni. Those in that tier will have the ability to upgrade to the next ($50) tier at a discounted price of $26. And the longest-tenured Voyageurs, as well as Canada Soccer Hall of Famers and most-capped national team alumni, will get “additional accommodations to receive even more priority.”

“They’ve done a reasonable job of rewarding fans that have been with them for a while, but also giving as much access as they can to people who are interested,” Regina’s Rob Notenboom, president of the Voyageurs board of directors, said of Canada Soccer’s ticket blueprint.

Founded in 1996, the Voyageurs have some 2,000 members.

John Nicolls, a Vancouver resident whose daughter Sofia played striker for Dalhousie University, said he would be prepared to join one of the lower-cost tiers to increase his chance of getting tickets to a local Canada game for his family. But he had more questions than answers, wondering about the cost of tickets (which is not covered in the CanadaRED membership) and how many you can apply for (yet to be confirmed).

Blue says Canada Soccer will provide answers to such questions as soon as the information is available.

U.S. Soccer has a similar multi-tiered supporter membership program dubbed Insiders. It has nine tiers ranging from Standard Insider (free) to President Circle (US$10,000 a year) with perks to match.

English fans have to join the England Supporters Travel Club for a shot at tickets for England’s World Cup games. A new adult membership costs 85 pounds ($156.20) with the lottery pot weighted towards members who have attended the most England games.

CanadaRED previously offered three tiers — the first free and the other two at a cost of $50 and $150 annually, respectively — with differing levels of access to Canada game tickets and other perks.

Canada Soccer says it currently has a little more than 100,000 members across the three tiers.

Proceeds from the CanadaRED program will “directly impact the lives of athletes, coaches, and communities across the country, ensuring that soccer in Canada continues to grow and thrive,” according to Canada Soccer.

The association, with the help of major donors, seeks to raise $25 million in new money by 2027 to provide national teams, from youth to the senior level, with “world-class training resources and competitive opportunities,” as well as helping develop high-performance Canadian coaches and remove barriers to entry to Canadian youth in club soccer.

Money from the CanadaRED program will go to the same causes.

Canada Soccer reported 2024 revenue of $37.546 million, including “approaching $2 million” in philanthropy. At the time, Blue said that was part of more than $10 million already committed, with the rest coming in future years -- with more to come.

Blue expects the World Cup ticket demand to be “unprecedented for Canadian soccer,” which is saying something given Canada’s past interest.

Canada was the top non-participating FIFA member association in terms of ticket sales at the 2010 tournament in South Africa and ranked in the top 10 in 2014 in Brazil.

In 2010, Canada ranked seventh among all countries — participating or not — in terms of country of residence ticket sales at 17,493. In 2014, the figure was 22,942, good for 11th place in world sales. In 2018, in Russia, Canada ranked 17th at 18,131.

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This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2025

Neil Davidson, The Canadian Press