Get ahead of the game and plan for inevitable price surges when the draw takes places and tickets go on sale
The Fifa World Cup 2026 draw gets underway at 5pm GMT on Friday 5 December, when the 48 teams and their fans will discover in which of the 12 groups they will play between 11-27 June.
It is the first time since 2002 that the tournament will be co-hosted across nations, with games taking place in 16 host cities across North America in Mexico, the United States and Canada.
It is estimated that the US – which is hosting the majority of games, including the final in New York – will welcome more than 1.2 million international visitors during the tournament, according to Tourism Economics.
The surge of arrivals will peak in June, when 57 of the 78 US matches are scheduled to take place. This will impact flight fares, which will inevitably surge when the groups are announced on Friday, fixtures released on Saturday and tickets released on 11 December.
When Scotland qualified, flight searches to host cities surged by 60 per cent, according to flight comparison site Skyscanner. Here’s how to stay ahead of the game if you plan to cross the Atlantic next summer…
Set up a price alert
Comparison sites such as Skyscanner, Google Flights, Kayak and others offer a price alert facility – enter your departure and arrival cities and they will notify you when fares change.
Skyscanner’s travel expert Laura Lindsay advises booking early: “You’re more likely not to be disappointed as interest increases.”
The site will also have a football flight finder search tool that will be updated as matches are announced by Fifa.
Get cleared for take-off
Before committing hundreds, and potentially thousands of pounds to a transatlantic air fare, ensure you are allowed into the host nations first.
If you do not already hold a valid visa waiver, apply for an Esta ($40) for the US, or an ETA (C$7) for Canada. The waivers are usually approved within hours. British passport holders do not need a visa or visa waiver to visit Mexico, though they must fill in an online immigration form.
Fans who cannot apply for a US Esta must apply for a relevant visa. The Trump administration has said that US embassies will give appointment priority to ticket-holders with the Fifa Prioritised Appointment Scheduling System.
Avoid paying tax
Air Passenger Duty (APD) will increase in April 2026, when it could add hundreds of pounds to transatlantic air fares. The tax is added to air fares for passengers aged 16 and over from most UK airports.
The US and Canada fall into band B, which will add £102 to the cost of an economy flight, and £106 to Mexico in band C. The rate is higher if you fly in premium seats – as much as £253 one way.
However, you can avoid the tax if you are prepared to take a slightly longer route. You could start your journey in Inverness, which is exempt from APD – even if you transit at Heathrow, you’ll avoid the tax.
You could also buy a cheap flight (or rail/ferry ticket) to Dublin or a continental hub such as Amsterdam, Paris, Frankfurt or Madrid and avoid APD. An added benefit in Dublin is the option to clear US immigration in advance.
However, it’s worth planning in plenty of breathing space to avoid the hiccup of potential delays. Note that a ticket that starts in the UK, flying via a European hub, will be subject to APD.
However, if you build in a stop-over of more than 24 hours, your APD liability is cancelled – Reykjavik in Iceland is a good option for breaking the journey midway. Icelandair offers a free stop-over for up to a week for no additional cost.
Look at the map
There may be satellite cities around the hosts where demand is lower and to which you can fly more cheaply. For example, you could fly to Melbourne Orlando or Tampa instead of Miami, to Houston instead of Monterrey or to Montreal or Ottawa instead of Toronto.
Have a look at distances and overland travel costs before committing. It may be just as expensive to hire a car or book a train or bus journey.
Take a pass
Are your team games far apart? Amtrak, the US railroad company, offers several passes. For example, if team games are taking place in the Western Region (Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles), a California Rail Pass may come in handy. It costs $159 (£120) for seven days of rail travel within a 21-day period. A Multi-Ride Pass offers 10 ride passes between named stations within 45 days.
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Domestic airlines such as Frontier also offer flight passes. Its Go Wild Pass costs $349 (£262) and covers an unlimited number of flights on its network (bags, seat selection, taxes and fees are chargeable, and blackout dates of 25-28 June and 2-6 July apply).
Consider multi-airline, multi-city
You don’t have to buy a return ticket with one airline. It can sometimes be cheaper to book each leg with a different carrier, or to fly via a mid-point city.
If your team is playing in multiple cities, or you intend to stay in the host countries for the knockout stages, sites such as Skyscanner offer multi-city planning tools.
Don’t panic
There will be a search surge when groups are announced, which will increase flight prices. However, this will not necessarily convert to bookings, and prices could also go down (this is where price trackers can work to your advantage).
“We have also seen airlines increase capacity last minute as teams get through stages in previous tournaments, so you could still get lucky”, says Laura Lindsay.
