Six Million Tickets Gone: LA28 Closes the Draw Era and Points to 2027
The organizing committee says the vast majority of Olympic ticket inventory is sold out after two drops, with no more draws in 2026 and a first-come, first-served phase opening next year.
Two years out from the opening ceremony, the scramble for LA28 seats has already reshaped how the rest of ticketing will work. The organizing committee announced on August 21 that more than 6 million Olympic tickets have been sold across Drop 1, Drop 2 and the Visa presale — with the vast majority of available inventory now sold out.
What changes next
The headline for fans who missed out: no further Olympic ticket draws are scheduled for 2026. Instead, LA28 will open first-come, first-served sales in 2027, on a date still to be announced. Purchase limits will be lifted at that stage, additional inventory across all sports will be released, and a verified resale program will launch through LA28's official secondary marketplace alongside AXS and Eventim. Fans will need an LA28 ID, but no draw registration. The first-ever Paralympic ticket drop also lands in 2027 — fitting, since August 17 marked two years until Los Angeles hosts its first Paralympic Games.
"The demand we've seen across both drops is a powerful signal that the world is energized for LA28," said LA28 chairperson Casey Wasserman in the release.
How demand got here
The trajectory was set in April, when the initial drop sold more than 4 million tickets, including roughly 500,000 of the $28 tickets earmarked for locals. That release carried a striking detail: women's Olympic sessions outsold men's, 93% to 88%, and the four sports new to the program — flag football, lacrosse, softball and squash — sold every available seat. Buyers came from 85 countries and all 50 states.
For anyone still planning a trip to Los Angeles in 2028, the message is plain: the next legitimate chance comes in 2027, and it will be a straight sprint rather than a lottery.