Okay so I started planning this World Cup trip ages ago because tickets? Man, they disappear faster than free snacks. Figured for 2026 in the US, Mexico, and Canada, getting seats together for the whole family – me, the wife, and our two little soccer nuts – was gonna be a nightmare. Heard the horror stories.
The Mad Rush Starts
First thing, bombarded everyone to make absolutely sure we all signed up for FIFA’s ticket alerts months back. Seems obvious, right? But you know how life gets. Almost forgot myself! Registration wasn’t bad, just the usual name, email, country stuff. Felt kinda official just clicking that button. Then the waiting game. Felt like forever.
Finally, got the magic email: “Early Access Window Opens Tomorrow!” Heart did a little jump. Got everyone ready, laptops charged, logged in super early like it was Black Friday for football. Clicked the link at the exact time they said… and boom. Website basically groaned. Spinning wheels everywhere. Seriously? Thought my internet died. Hit refresh a hundred times, probably made it worse. Honestly thought we were screwed already.
Finding the Family Deals
After about, I dunno, twenty minutes of sweating and cursing softly (kids nearby!), the page actually loaded. Dove straight into the ticket portal. Looked overwhelming, tons of matches, cities, prices. Panicked a bit scrolling. Then spotted it: the Families & Friends category. Clicked that sucker so fast.
Had to pick a specific match we all wanted. Chose one we figured wouldn’t be too crazy popular but still decent teams. Then the real scramble. You gotta search for 4 seats together. The map thing helps, sorta. Zoomed in, dragged around. Kept seeing single seats or pairs. Almost gave up. Then, bingo! Found a block of four! Felt like winning the lottery. Actually yelled “YES!” Scared the dog.
Here’s the big part everyone asks about:
- Family Tiers & Savings: FIFA actually has special discounted ticket tiers for families. Big relief on the wallet!
- Who Counts? You usually need at least one adult and one kid under like 16 (but double-check this when you do it!). Can mix adults and kids in the group.
- Booking Trick: When you click “Families & Friends,” it forces the system to look for contiguous seats. Don’t try to search for 4 general tickets separately – chaos! This is key.
- Discount Amount: Could be anywhere from maybe 25% to 50% off a regular adult ticket price for the kids, depends on the match and category. HUGE difference adding up four seats!
Saw the prices pop up with the discounts applied instantly. Did a quick mental check: Way cheaper than buying 4 full-price tickets individually. Clicked “Proceed” before they vanished.
Panic Stations and Paying Up
Then came the checkout. Names, birthdates for everyone – gotta be exact to match passports later. Typing furiously, double-checking like my life depended on it. Wife looking over my shoulder correcting my spelling. Tense!
Payment page loaded. Took out my special “travel savings” credit card, the one with less fees. Entered the details, fingers crossed. Clicked “Pay.” Held my breath… spinning wheel… then… “Payment Successful! Confirmation Sent.” Almost fell off the chair.
Got the email immediately listing all four seats together with the match details and confirmation number. Printed that thing out straight away and emailed it to myself AND the wife. Not taking any chances.
What Worked
Looking back, the absolute keys for saving cash and getting seats together:
- Registrations Done EARLY. No shortcuts.
- Jumping on the family/friends filter IMMEDIATELY. That saved our bacon.
- Having all the payment details and names ready to copy/paste. Speed matters in that initial rush.
- Breathing! (Kinda) Staying calm enough to not mess up the typing.
It felt like running a marathon just sitting at the computer. But seeing those confirmed seats together with the discount locked in? Worth every second of the stress. Still gotta sort flights and hotels now… one headache at a time!