World Cup Attendance Debate
FIFA Attributes Empty Seats at Mexico World Cup Match to Fans in Concourse Areas
FIFA is blaming empty seats at the World Cup opener in Guadalajara on fans who were standing in the concourses instead of sitting down. The 45,664-capacity Estadio Guadalajara hosted South Korea vs. the Czech Republic on June 11, with an announced attendance of 44,985 — but TV cameras showed massive blocks of empty red seats, according to AP.
FIFA's official explanation: its attendance figures count "tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint," not just people in their seats. Critics — including state attorneys general and fan groups — say the real story is that record-high ticket prices are locking people out of the World Cup entirely.
FIFA's Concourse Defense Fails the Eye Test
FIFA said in a statement that "several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats." But fans on social media were quick to push back. Analysts noted that the concourses could not physically hold the thousands of people needed to account for the empty blocks visible on broadcast cameras, according to The Mirror US.
The announced attendance implied only 679 empty seats out of 45,664. The images told a very different story — especially in the expensive sideline and VIP sections, where empty seats were most visible. The Athletic and Reuters both published findings on June 13 highlighting the gap between "tickets scanned" and "seats occupied."
Record Ticket Prices Price Out Local Fans
FIFA has set record prices across all 16 host stadiums — 11 in the U.S., three in Mexico, and two in Canada. Category 1 tickets in Toronto reached $2,240 each, according to The Independent. In Guadalajara, lower-tier seats ran $300 to $500. That is nearly two weeks of wages for many local residents, where per capita income sits around $12,250 per year, according to Forbes.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the prices before the tournament. "Our entry price, which is $60, is the lowest entry price of any of the American sports in the playoff phases," he told reporters, according to NBC News. When asked about $1,000 tickets for the U.S. opener, even Donald Trump said: "I wouldn't pay it either, to be honest with you," according to Newsweek.
Attorneys General Open Investigations Into FIFA Ticketing
New York Attorney General Letitia James and New Jersey Attorney General Jennifer Davenport launched a joint investigation into FIFA's ticketing on May 27, subpoenaing records over what they called "fake scarcity" and "astronomical" price hikes. James said fans are being "manipulated into paying sky-high prices," according to the NJ/NY Office of the Attorney General.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton also opened a separate probe. Legal experts say the investigations could force FIFA to change how it releases tickets for the later rounds of the tournament. Just before the tournament kicked off, 75 of 104 matches still had tickets available — including both semifinals — according to AP.
Toronto Also Shows Empty Seats as Fans Push Back
The empty-seat problem was not limited to Mexico. Canada's match against Bosnia and Herzegovina in Toronto on June 12 showed visible empty patches in the lower bowl. More than 1,300 tickets were reportedly unsold at kickoff, even as officials listed the attendance at 43,002 out of a 44,315 capacity, according to The Independent.
Fan group Football Supporters Europe called FIFA's pricing a "monumental betrayal" of World Cup tradition, according to CBC Sports. The group had already filed a formal complaint with the European Commission over FIFA's dynamic pricing model — where prices rise based on demand — late in 2025. FIFA says the model stops scalpers from grabbing profit. Critics say it just hands that profit to FIFA instead.
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