President of the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) Gianni Infantino speaks at the Global Citizen Awards ceremony in New York. (AP )

MIAMI, Oct 1, (AP) Not even half of the spots in the 48-team field have been claimed. The schedule of matches won’t be finalized until December. And other than host nations, the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, nobody has any idea where or when they’ll be playing.

Millions of soccer fans worldwide evidently don’t seem to mind any of those points.

Tickets to next year’s FIFA World Cup officially went on sale on Wednesday. The buyers will be those who were selected, out of 4.5 million applicants, in a lottery that took place last month, to have the first formal chance to purchase tickets over the next few days. FIFA said lottery winners have been, or will soon be, informed by email.

There are unique questions for consumers heading into the tournament, particularly about how they'll get visas, if necessary, to visit the U.S. as the country cracks down on immigration. There are also more traditional concerns, such as who, when, and where, and none of those will be answered until the draw on Dec. 5. FIFA knows many fans won’t fret about those answers; they’ll just want tickets now and will figure out the rest later.

"These are not only outstanding figures, but also a strong statement,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on social media, reacting to the 4.5 million applicants for a spot in the purchase window that opened Wednesday. "The whole world wants to be part of the FIFA World Cup 26, the biggest, most inclusive, and most exciting event ever. From Canada, Mexico, and the United States, to countries big and small across every continent, fans are proving once again that passion for football truly unites.”

In divided times, the notion of soccer being something that "truly unites” will be put to the test.