How TravelFutbolFan is Getting You Ready for the 2026 World Cup

Following this international break, we are eight more away from the big one: the 2026 FIFA World Cup hosted by the US, Mexico, and Canada. This coming World Cup promises to be the biggest yet, in terms of geographical size & the number of teams & fans involved. Danny Navarro, better known as TravelFutbolFan, has spent the last two years providing fans valuable travel tips & tricks for their World Cup journeys. 

With thousands of daily views on his TikTok platform, Danny, a Miami-raised DC transplant, hopes his advice will have fans reach their dreams of watching the World Cup without breaking the bank. And maybe, bring a change in ticket & travel accessibility. Forty-One got to talk to Danny about all that and more: 

With around 18 months left before the World Cup starts, do you feel the excitement creeping as we get closer & closer?

You know, it takes me back to why I created TravelFutbolFan. I did it right after I got to see a World Cup match in Qatar, because it’s a 4 year project and it’s a truly global event. So from a planning standpoint, it feels like forever, it feels boring. But it’s that boring, mundane work of saving money, of earning travel points and miles, of taking care of your financial matters at home that then by the time 2026 comes around, you ain’t worrying.

What are the major general tips for people to know about the FIFA ticketing process?

Right now, FIFA hasn’t said much in terms of ticket sales. But if we base it off previous history, FIFA has always controlled sales & pricing for the World Cup. They’re the only ones to sell tickets. No third party platforms. And so because the ticket buying process is probably going to be easier, it might lead to fairer ticket prices in that respect.

Do you think as all this exposure is increasing, do you think tickets will become more or less accessible to the public post the World Cup?

One thing about the Copa America is that it was an US operation, but FIFA are gonna run things much differently.  Most important thing is that they cap the prices for all of the games. So you’re not gonna see tickets going for $80,000 for the final. And so I think what fans are gonna realize is, hey, why is FIFA able to cap the prices of these tickets to make them somewhat affordable? But then we’re okay with Ticketmaster letting dynamic pricing price out a family of four? So I hope that this will lead to a realignment to the industry where it’s not about profits, it’s about fan experience, and that fan experience has to include making prices more affordable.

What was your most stressful ticket experience?

Definitely the Copa America, because of how they left all the ticket buying to the third party platforms like Ticketmaster & SeatGeek. I wasn’t able to nail down one game I wanted to attend and it got more and more stressful. By the time I got tickets to the semifinal (Colombia – Uruguay) in Charlotte, now I was figuring out how to get there. Because sometimes buying the ticket is easy. It’s getting to the place that a lot of fans don’t pay attention to, and they’re shocked when it’s $600 for flights and $200 for the hotel. That’s what we try to avoid, with using those travel points and miles.

 What tips can you offer for people who want to start their planning right now? 

I want fans to be prepared for all of these logistical things that come before going to your soccer game. And how you plan your travel is gonna vary from person to person. If you like to travel in style, airplane and hotel points are gonna come in handy. If you’re traveling as a family of four, you’re gonna want to know which hotels are kid-friendly.  The lines are gonna be longer, do you have TSA Precheck? If you’re traveling to Canada or Mexico, do you have your passport ready?  You want to be in a lounge, consider travel credit cards. Get your Amtrak points up. Book that car rental in advance because it might not be available in 2026.

All of this paperwork and bureaucratic stuff is gonna help you make the travel experience that much better for you. Whatever your game plan is going to be, start thinking about what that looks like, and so that when you know where your team is playing next year in 2025 you’re ready to go. If you’re not looking to watch a specific team, you can start that planning right now. 

An interesting thing about this World Cup is the variety of the cities located. New York, Mexico City, Vancouver, SF, Dallas. What can tourists do to have a respectful yet immersive time in these locations?

Right off the bat, spend local. Go to the local restaurants, man, go to the local communities. Spend your money in the local economy. Another thing, and this reflects for all cities: please treat those cities as you would your own home. These 16 cities have millions of people that call these places home. This is not your home. You are a welcome guest. But please treat the locals with respect, with kindness. As long as you’re able to do these two things,  you’re going to be immersed into all of the different cultures that exist in each of these cities. 

Soccer in the US has been largely driven by the Latino community; how big of an influence have they been to your content?

Massive. I mean, that’s quite a reason why Futbol is in the name. I spanglish my way through a lot of my content at times and sometimes I look back and say, well, maybe I should produce more content in Spanish, just because I have a lot of followers that ask me questions in Spanish. It’s part of that mission of wanting my community, and wanting all soccer fans, but especially those of the Latino community, to be financial winners during, before, during and after this World Cup. I don’t want them to go into credit card debt. I don’t want them to get scammed by fulano in the corner. I want them to be able to enjoy and experience that emotion that is to cheer for your team.

How did your background (being a Colombian-American from Miami) influence your soccer journey? What can this World Cup bring to fans or non-fans in their own soccer journeys?

Some of the first games I got to see in person were the Miami Fusion, back when we had a team in MLS. But the games I watched of Colombia in the 1990s and 2000s, those are core memories. I finally had the chance to see the Colombian men and women play, and it felt just amazing to be able to sing the anthem and be present. That’s part of why international soccer connects with me more.

I think a lot of fans are going to be surprised by just how much homegrown support there’s going to be for their national teams here in the States. I know there’s been talk about the 48 teams and the quality. It would still mean so much for fans of a country like El Salvador to watch and celebrate their team. I wanna see those underdog teams coming in and rattling a team like England. 

What are your next steps as we get closer to 2026 and beyond?

My goal for this World Cup is to see 16 games in 16 cities. Right now, I’m a third of the way there. I think the biggest logistical challenge right now is Mexico, because of the timing of those games and the massive interest fans will have to attend those games. It’s an ambitious goal so if it doesn’t happen exactly how it planned, at least I took the steps to set myself for success. 

As for future tournaments, I think I’ll stick with soccer. We’ll have the Olympics in LA in 2028, then the 2030 and 2034 World Cups, plus the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil. So we’ll see how it goes. But I think the reason why my content has been able to resonate with so many fans is because I am a true fan of the sport,  as many of us are, and so they see that I’m not just some person that’s faking the love of the game. I truly love the sport. You know, it’s something that speaks to me. It’s part of my personality, and we’ll just go from there.