The first sales window for tickets to the 2026 World Cup consists of an application period that opens on September 10th and closes on September 19th (2025), and there's a major change to the process this time around. In this episode, we'll break down the 5 biggest things you need to know to be prepared to score tickets to the world's greatest sporting event!

00:00 | Catcing up on 2025

09:15 | Question 1: HOW does Phase 1 of World Cup 2026 ticket sales actually work?

12:20 | Question 2: WHEN does Phase 1 of World Cup 2026 ticket sales happen?

13:04 | Question 3: WHO can apply for World Cup 2026 tickets during Phase 1?

14:12 | Question 4: HOW does FIFA notify successful Phase 2 applicants?

14:52 | Question 5: WHEN can I actually buy World Cup 2026 match tickets?

20:13 | Predictions on further Phase 1 details and additional sales phases

26:35 | Recommendations for how to approach World Cup 2026 tickets sales

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When the dog bites, when the bee sti— Oooh! Eh ehm. Excuse us. Didn’t see you there. Just warming up the vocal chords for our 2024 FAVORITE THINGS EPISODE!!!

Comment on our recently pinned Instagram or X posts to let us know what you think about our picks, your favorites, or any footy travel suggestions you have for us in 2025!

Foot(y)notes:

Here are some of our favorite things worth checking out ASAP…

• Jimmy Rees Instagram Reel on “The Guy Who Decides the Premier League”

• “Once In a Lifetime” on YouTube (by Eli Mengem and Copa 90) 

• “Welcome to Wrexham” on FX

• The Mobile Passport app from US Customs and Border Patrol

02:43 | Mike has an offer

05:39 | Mike gives the rundown

07:33 | TOP 5 Matches & Travel Experiences - COLIN

15:02 | TOP 5 Matches & Travel Experiences - MIKE

25:47 | TOP 4 Media & Content Pieces - COLIN

35:31 | TOP 4 Media & Content Pieces - MIKE

46:53 | TOP 3 Travel Tips & Lessons Learned - COLIN

51:01 | TOP 3 Travel Tips & Lessons Learned - MIKE

58:10 | TOP 2 Things to look forward to in 2025 - MIKE

01:00:41 | TOP 2 Things to look forward to in 2025 - COLIN

01:03:49 | BIGGEST 2024 Takeaway - MIKE

01:08:25 | BIGGEST 2024 Takeaway - COLIN

Think having your honeymoon covered by your favorite football club is nothing but a pipe dream? Well wake up and listen to this special BONUS episode, where we sit down with Matthew Eide from Far Away Football (check out Ep 73 if you missed his other incredible stories!) to reveal how he scored an all-expenses-paid getaway to the Seychelles, courtesy of Manchester City and their corporate powerhouse sponsor. And don’t forget to leave us a rating and review if you’re as amazed by his story as we are!

Watch the story unfold, including the moment Matthew & Liz discover the Premier League Champions trophy in their suite. 

*RATE & REVIEW*

Wherever you're listening, be sure to hit 'Follow' or 'Subscribe', leave us a star-rating, and if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, leave us a proper review to let others know what you think of the show!

*JOIN US ON OUR NEXT TRIP*

Head to FootyTravelers.com to learn more about our UK trip in November/December and how you can join us on all the footy travel adventure we have planned! Or hop directly onto the waitlist.

Fellow footy travelers experience the game outside their hometowns all the time, but have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a globe-trotting footy fan with multiple once-in-a-lifetime experiences? In this episode, Matthew Eide of Far Away Football takes us on an absolute journey! From a 10-goal spectacle in a Bhutanese stadium fit for a king, to two unforgettable footy moments in the Seychelles, this is one episode you won’t want to miss. With professional soccer connections stretching as far as the Solomon Islands, Matthew might even have a surprise for you at the end of this one (wink wink)!

Foot(y)notes:

• SPOILER ALERT: If you want to listen to the BONUS Episode with Matthew before its release next week, simply head to footytravelers.com/podcast
• If you're planning a trip to Bhutan, know before you go.
• Show your love for the global game with an Icarus FC kit of your own!
• Follow Thimphu City FC on Instagram and tell them that you heard about them in this episode.

*RATE & REVIEW*

Wherever you're listening, be sure to hit 'Follow' or 'Subscribe', leave us a star-rating, and if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, leave us a proper review to let others know what you think of the show!

PLUS YOU CAN WIN A FOOTY TRAVELERS SWAG BAG...

If you email us ([email protected]) a screenshot of your recent review, and your mailing address, we'll send one your way!

Would you walk 500 miles just to be the man who walked 500 miles to see a footy match? Today’s guest would. In fact, he did! Join us as we talk with Tom Stoker, a Three Lions fan who marched from Manchester to Gelsenkirchen this past summer to witness England’s EURO 2024 opening match against Serbia at Arena AufSchalke (aka Veltins-Arena for sponsorship reasons). For more on Tom’s journey, check out his Instagram account.

04:41 | Getting to know Tom’s skill set(s)

08:08 | Walking across Wales

10:10 | The planning phase

12:44 | Tom’s long walk stats & countries visited

15:25 | “Tent” Alexander-Arnold

18:50 | But did Tom actually make it?!

23:17 | Tom goes full-kit wanker & a Kyle Walker appearance

27:04 | A Morrisons meal gone wrong

32:05 | Tom’s take on English fans

37:03 | Mike “walks” us into rapid fire

44:07 | Tom’s “Final” satisfaction

*RATE & REVIEW*

Wherever you're listening, be sure to hit 'Follow' or 'Subscribe', leave us a star-rating, and if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, leave us a proper review to let others know what you think of the show!

*JOIN US ON OUR NEXT TRIP*

Head to FootyTravelers.com to learn more about our UK trip in November/December and how you can join us on all the footy travel adventure we have planned! Or hop directly onto the waitlist.

*GEAR UP*

You can also head to FootyTravelers.com to visit our fan shop and gear up with limited edition jerseys and supporters scarves.

*This episode features music by The Proclaimers. All rights to the song are owned by The Proclaimers, and we do not claim any ownership over the copyrighted material.

Forget Raygun, the FFTs are at Paris 2024 for the footy! Join guests Ronny of the Football Misfits Podcast, Jesse M, Mark C, Merritt H, & Barry J for an on-the-ground look at what it was like for American footy travelers who attended this summer's Olympic games. We'll talk about tickets, atmosphere, and some freaky deaky Dutch crowdsurfing at the biggest orgy of sports there is!

04:22 | The Football Misfits "On Location"

05:42 | Olympic ticketing processes

07:35 | Olympic football ticket prices

09:20 | Why Men's Olympic soccer is for ballers

12:03 | Why the atmosphere for Olympic soccer is like Coachella

13:13 | Olympic soccer lacks teams (women's) and superstars (men's)

15:00 | Major soccer tournament rankings

16:26 | How the Olympics is bigger than the World Cup

17:32 | Dutch crowdsurfing

18:02 | The World Cup takes the cake, but the Olympics is... better?!

*RATE & REVIEW*

Wherever you're listening, be sure to hit 'Follow' or 'Subscribe', leave us a star-rating, and if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, leave us a proper review to let others know what you think of the show!

*SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS*

Race2Adventure

From the stunning scenery of Chile to the captivating allure of New Zealand – R2A invites you to join them on an exhilarating vacation around the world. Their 8-night adventures are tailor-made for fitness enthusiasts, explorers, and travel aficionados who crave more from their vacations. With R2A, you don’t just visit a destination; you become a part of it.

We are back together in today’s episode to talk all about our Intercontinental Summer Tour: our 18-day North American and European adventure that had us at both the Copa America and Euro 2024, attending a total of 7 tournament matches, 5 of which, between the two of us were in 5 different cities, on 5 consecutive days, and… as you can probably guess, across 2 different continents. Passionate? We are. A bit crazy? Perhaps. Borderline psychotic?… we… are… seeing someone about that. Labels aside, in this episode we run through our itinerary, answer a listener FFT question, and leave you with some great footy travel tips from our whirlwind summer.

Foot(y)notes: 

• Footy Travelers scarves for sale in the Footy Travelers Fan Shop! Or…
• Sign up for the best damn Fantasy Premier League out there! Email… wait for it… [email protected] to register. There’s a PL-season-long head-to-head option, and two survivor leagues that split each half of the 38 match-week PL season. Footy Travelers scarves and cash prizes up for grabs!
• If you want more info on the CBP Mobile Passport option Mike mentions, check it out here. 
• Or check out Global Entry. Colin loves using his on international footy travels.
• In Germany? Thirsty? Not a beer drinker? Try apfelwein!

03:19 | The Intercontinental Summer Tour Itinerary: Copa America + Euro 2024

12:43 | Lunatic Colin says, “Hold my beer!” and flies cross-country again

14:26 | A great Fantasy Premier League opportunity!

15:32 | Mike’s personal highlights

21:02 | Colin’s personal highlights

28:06 | Travel tips & lessons learned

29:18 | Discussing German beers

38:55 | German train travel

45:33 | Death to FlixBus!

48:55 | Travel tips on EU departures and US re-entry

52:03 | Final travel tip - save for World Cup 2026!

In a riveting episode we weren’t necessarily planning on, we dive deep into the pandemonium that unfolded ahead of the Copa America Final at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL on Sunday, July 14. We’re joined by four FFTs who were there that evening, as well as one who attended the previous Colombia match (the Copa semi-final), each bringing a unique perspective on the chaotic events of that unforgettable night.

Guests:

Najjah Calibur - International match host who has performed recently at World Cup 2022 & AFC Asian Cup 2023. Najjah was the stadium MC that night.

Shirley Checa - Argentina fan who followed the team throughout the Copa America. 

Monica Bosiljevac - A fellow footy traveler, USA and Jamaica supporter who ultimately did not make it into the stadium.

Cheyenne Foster - Footy fan vlogger and American soccer fanatic currently footy traveling via van life.

Danny Navarro - Colombian fan originally from Miami who offers his thoughts on fellow Colombian fans, both those at the Copa Final and at large.

Part 2:

01:14 | Monica’s perspective from an aerial view

06:37 | Watching a cop padlock the gates

08:01 | “The stadium is at capacity”

13:02 | Cheyenne’s last minute decision to attend

20:03 | No security or ticket checks 

22:29 | An argument over seats

28:59 | (Some) final thoughts...

35:20 | ...y la palabra última

Further Reading:

There’s plenty of 'journalistic' perspectives on this too…

Here’s one from the Washington Post’s Sunday night report, and one from Bleacher Report. Here’s another one from CBS News. Our personal favorite, though, was The Athletic’s live blog page for Copa America Final. 

Alexis Mac Allister’s mother, Silvina, describes the experience of entering the stadium as “inhumane” (note: video esta en Español)

Finally, here’s Fox’s Alexi Lalas (a totally noncontroversial voice in the soccer space) with his take on things

In a riveting episode we weren’t necessarily planning on, we dive deep into the pandemonium that unfolded ahead of the Copa America Final at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, FL on Sunday, July 14. We’re joined by four FFTs who were there that evening, as well as one who attended the previous Colombia match (the Copa semi-final), each bringing a unique perspective on the chaotic events of that unforgettable night.

Guests:

Najjah Calibur - International match host who has performed recently at World Cup 2022 & AFC Asian Cup 2023. Najjah was the stadium MC that night.

Shirley Checa - Argentina fan who followed the team throughout the Copa America. 

Monica Bosiljevac - A fellow footy traveler, USA and Jamaica supporter who ultimately did not make it into the stadium.

Cheyenne Foster - Footy fan vlogger and American soccer fanatic currently footy traveling via van life.

Danny Navarro - Colombian fan originally from Miami who offers his thoughts on fellow Colombian fans, both those at the Copa Final and at large.

Part 1:

00:49 | Recap of events ahead of kick-off

05:43 | Najjah’s report from inside the stadium

14:01 | Shirley recalls the chaos and stress outside the gates

22:25 | Panic attacks and crying children

30:02 | People sitting in the aisles and in other people’s seats

Further Reading:

There’s plenty of 'journalistic' perspectives on this too…

Here’s one from the Washington Post’s Sunday night report, and one from Bleacher Report. Here’s another one from CBS News. Our personal favorite, though, was The Athletic’s live blog page for Copa America Final. 

Alexis Mac Allister’s mother, Silvina, describes the experience of entering the stadium as “inhumane” (note: video esta en Español)

Finally, here’s Fox’s Alexi Lalas (a totally noncontroversial voice in the soccer space) with his take on things

Euros and Copa America are finally both underway, and the Footy Travelers are about to take flight to games for both tournaments. So what better way to get into the mood than a conversation about European football, its American counterpart, and some fun Copa America events happening this summer with the Scuffed Podcast’s Adam Belz? Tune in, get (even more) stoked for all the footy to be watched, and get ready for the Footy Travelers Intercontinental Summer Tour - a crazy thing you can follow on Instagram if you’re bored (@footytravelers).

Foot(y)notes:

• This is the ground we all had a good laugh about with the train running through it.
• Old Firm (Rangers vs Celtic) away fans haven’t been permitted for awhile, but  that’s about to change.
• Check out the Scuffed Podcast’s website.

02:32 | Some weird shit about Swiss cows and cheese

07:19 | The idea for a footy trip to Italy

08:16 | Juventus vs AC Milan

09:16 | Venezia playing for promotion

10:00 | San Siro tour

11:00 | The stadium in Como

17:28 | Comparing AMerican and Italian soccer culture

28:06 | The Footy Traveler “Glow”

31:54 | Plans for Copa and where to watch

38:06 | The sense of the collective during the World Cup

*RATE & REVIEW*

Wherever you're listening, be sure to hit 'Follow' or 'Subscribe', leave us a star-rating, and if you're listening on Apple Podcasts, leave us a proper review to let others know what you think of the show!

*VISIT THE FOOTY TRAVELERS FAN SHOP*

Head to our new fan shop to 'Kop' an exclusive Footy Travelers 'Away' jersey, or score a custom-designed supporters' scarf. Hurry though! Jerseys are nearly sold out and scarf supplies won't last long!

*SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS*

Race2Adventure

From the stunning scenery of Chile to the captivating allure of New Zealand – R2A invites you to join them on an exhilarating vacation around the world. Their 8-night adventures are tailor-made for fitness enthusiasts, explorers, and travel aficionados who crave more from their vacations. With R2A, you don’t just visit a destination; you become a part of it.