FIFA reported an attendance of 44,985 for Thursday’s World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic (Czech Republic) in Guadalajara, but a large number of empty seats around the stadium raised new concerns about ticket prices and demand for the expanded tournament.
As more than 80,000 people packed into Mexico City’s stadium to watch the opening match between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa, the optics of unoccupied rows in the 46,000-seat stadium in Guadalajara, a city with a deep-rooted football culture, have intensified criticism of FIFA’s commercial strategy for the first 48-team World Cup.
Fans at the stadium blamed high ticket prices on the rows of empty seats and criticized FIFA for its pricing model.
“Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and the number of spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any point during the match,” FIFA said in a statement to Reuters.
FIFA’S PRIZE STRATEGY
With Mexico’s match at the Azteca always expected to be a sellout, South Korea’s meeting with the Czech Republic – ranked 25th and 37th respectively – in the tournament’s second-smallest stadium provided the first real test of FIFA’s pricing strategy.
The crowd was dominated by Mexican fans in home colours, alongside a notable South Korean contingent, but only a limited Czech presence.
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The Czechs qualified at the end of March and faced demanding travel schedules in the group stage.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino on Wednesday defended FIFA’s ticket prices after criticism from supporters who claimed the cost of attending matches had become unaffordable.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has argued that ticket prices have followed the industry standard for global sporting events. | Photo credit: AP
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has argued that ticket prices have followed the industry standard for global sporting events. | Photo credit: AP
He said ticket prices were comparable to other major sporting events.
FIFA has sold more than six million tickets for the tournament and previously highlighted strong interest from across America, with Infantino saying demand had exceeded expectations by «a factor of 10 or more».
However, groups such as Football Supporters Europe (FSE) had warned that ‘excessive’ prices would exclude ordinary fans. According to FSE, ticket prices for this tournament have increased fivefold compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
(With input from Reuters)
Published on June 13, 2026
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