PARIS, Oct 16 (Reuters) - More than one million tickets for the 2026 World Cup have been sold following the conclusion of the Visa pre-sales phase, world football's governing body FIFA said on Thursday.

Fans from 212 countries and territories purchased tickets during the pre-sales period, which opened in mid-September, FIFA said in a statement.

Demand was led by residents of the three host nations - the United States, Canada and Mexico - followed by England, Germany, Brazil, Spain, Colombia, Argentina and France.

"What an exciting milestone on the road to 2026," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said. "Today we celebrate surpassing the one-million-ticket mark after the Visa pre-sales, a fantastic proof that the most ambitious and inclusive FIFA World Cup ever is generating huge global excitement."

A total of 28 teams have already qualified for the tournament, which will be the first to feature 48 nations and 104 matches across 16 cities in the three host countries.

The first public sales phase will open on October 27, offering individual match tickets as well as stadium-specific and team-specific packages, FIFA said.

An official ticket resale platform has also been launched to protect fans from invalid or unauthorised resales.

The 2026 World Cup will take place across venues in the United States, Canada and Mexico, marking the first time the tournament will be hosted by three nations.