World Cup Sees Massive Empty Seats as Fans Complain About Unaffordable Ticket Prices

The 2026 FIFA World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara drew 44,985 spectators, but large sections of the 46,000-capacity stadium remained empty, reigniting criticism over FIFA's commercial strategy for the inaugural 48-team tournament.

While over 80,000 fans attended the opening match between host Mexico and South Africa at the Azteca Stadium, the sight of widespread vacancies in Guadalajara—a city with deep football roots—has raised fresh concerns about ticket pricing and overall demand.

Fans on-site directly blamed high ticket prices for the empty seats, criticizing FIFA's pricing model. FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the pricing policy yesterday, responding to fan complaints that match costs were prohibitively high. He stated that ticket prices for this tournament are comparable to those of other major sporting events.

FIFA has sold over 6 million World Cup tickets so far and previously emphasized strong demand from across the Americas. Infantino even claimed that demand is "more than 10 times higher" than expected.

However, groups like Football Supporters Europe (FSE) have warned that "excessive" ticket prices risk excluding ordinary fans. According to FSE, ticket prices for this edition have surged up to five times compared to the 2022 Qatar World Cup. "These prices shut out regular supporters and contradict the spirit of football," the organization stated.

The empty seats highlight a growing tension between FIFA's commercial ambitions and fan accessibility, raising questions about the long-term sustainability of its expanded tournament model.