Nearly Full, But Empty Seats Tell a Different Story at FIFA's Expanded World Cup

The first World Cup with 48 teams is only one day old, but FIFA is already facing images it would rather avoid. During South Korea’s 2-1 comeback win over Czechia, many empty rows were visible in the stands, even though the stadium announcer said 44,985 fans were present in a venue with 45,664 seats. Officially, that meant only about 700 seats were unfilled, but television shots showed entire sections, especially VIP areas, looking bare.

The pictures revived criticism over ticket prices and the real demand for less glamorous matches in the expanded tournament. Fans at the stadium said high prices were a major reason for the empty seats. Reports said even lower-profile home games were still selling for more than $300 per ticket, and FIFA’s official resale platforms still had thousands of tickets available, including for the U.S. opening match against Paraguay in Los Angeles tomorrow.

FIFA has recently tried to lower prices for some games to draw more spectators in the United States, Canada and Mexico, while still describing demand as unprecedented. FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in April that 500 million ticket requests had been received, which he said was ten times the combined total for the previous two World Cups. This week, he also defended the pricing policy, saying the tickets are comparable to those for other major sporting events.

Fan groups, including Football Supporters Europe, warned before the tournament that “excessive” prices could keep ordinary supporters away. The group said ticket prices for this World Cup are five times higher than at the 2022 tournament in Qatar. The opening match at Estadio Azteca did sell out, with 83,264 spectators watching Mexico beat South Africa 2-0, but even that celebratory day was marred by protests outside the stadium in Mexico City, where reports said stones and Molotov cocktails were thrown at police.