FIFA has entered panic mode as empty seats at various stadiums have thrust the exorbitant price of World Cup tickets into a harsh and immediate spotlight. Following the match between South Korea and Czechia at Estadio Akron, the governing body issued a peculiar statement to explain the situation, while insisting the crowd figure of 44,985 was accurate.
FIFA's Statement on Attendance Figures
“Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment during the match,” the statement said. “FIFA works closely with stadium authorities and ticketing teams to ensure all published figures are based on verified operational data.”
“Please note that, during (Thursday’s) match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.”
The empty seats at Estadio Akron were obvious, but FIFA insists the stadium was full. The statement immediately went viral, with veteran Australian journalist Mark Gottlieb saying, “The lying has begun.”
Fan Reactions and Criticism
Fans also piled on. “Yeah, right. Whatever holds your cheese. Say whatever you want. We believe you,” one fan wrote. Another added: “You have got greedy and priced the proper fans out of the game. You should be ashamed of yourself. This isn’t what the World Cup was all about! You have ruined a beautiful spectacle!”
The use of the word “several” was also called out. “I don’t even watch or really care about the World Cup and saying ‘several’ is hilarious,” one observer noted. Another replied to the statement with a definition of the word: “Several is a quantifier generally defined as an indefinite number of items or people that is more than a couple or few, but significantly less than many.”
Empty Seats at Other Matches
More alarming for FIFA, the situation around crowd numbers was not limited to Estadio Akron. In fact, the USA and Paraguay game, which kicked off on Saturday morning (Australian time) at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, also appeared to have several empty seats, particularly during the opening ceremony. “The USA’s opening match of the World Cup 2026 played out in front of more empty seats to raise further questions about FIFA’s ticket prices for the tournament,” The Independent wrote.
“The World Cup co-hosts played their first match against Paraguay at the 70,000-capacity SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, but it failed to sell out. Pockets of empty seats could be seen clearly in the middle and lower tiers either side of the halfway line, in some of the most expensive parts of the stadium.” Reports claim that only 29 of the 104 World Cup matches were sell-outs prior to the tournament starting.
Social Media Debate
Meanwhile, debate raged on social media over the “empty seats” issue, with some fans suggesting that many of the claims were made up and the stadiums were in fact full. Showing pictures of Mexico’s Estadio Azteca and SoFi Stadium, football account All Fútbol MX said: “The difference between Mexico’s opening ceremony at the Estadio Azteca and USA’s opening ceremony at SoFi stadium is BRUTAL. Money can buy technology, but it can’t buy AURA.”
Another said: “For a tournament of this magnitude, seeing empty sections during an opening ceremony is not a good look at all.” And another: “How on earth have the USA not sold out their opening match in LA? Countless empty seats. Pathetic for a home nation.”
But others hit back: “Some of these FT pages and accounts are too reactionary. I get the controversy and dislike towards US hosting the WC, but stop spreading this ‘empty seats’ agenda.”
