The FIFA World Cup 2026 kicked off with Mexico defeating South Africa 2-0 in front of a packed Mexico City Stadium as the home fans celebrated the dominant win of El Tri. While the opener at the Azteca Stadium saw more than 80,000 fans rooting for Mexico, the crowd presence for the second game between South Korea and the Czech Republic saw a lower turnout at the Guadalajara.ย
The Koreans defeated Czechia 2-1 in a come-from-behind win at the 46,000-seater stadium. The official audience present at the venue was recorded as 44,985; however, the visuals of the stand painted a different picture altogether.
The stadium saw hundreds of seats empty for the second Group A clash. The red seats were very visible in the pictures of the night game.ย
Why were seats left empty in Guadalajara?
There have been question marks surrounding the demand for the World Cup due to concerns about ticket prices. The FIFA organising body is using dynamic pricing for the tournament and has repeatedly raised the prices since tickets first went on sale last fall. The body is charging record prices at the 16 venues for the tournament.ย
The group stage tickets priced by FIFA stood at USD 140, but the regular seats for the final on July 19 outside New York were listed at up to USD 8,680 and hospitality seats at up to USD 73,200. This meant a rise in the prices for the final to USD 10,990 and then USD 32,970.
It was earlier reported that the ticket prices would be dynamic and would range from $60 for group-stage matches to $6,730 for the final. Meanwhile, the fans have also complained about the ticket prices of what they say are excessively high even months ahead of the tournament kicking off. Meanwhile, the cost of accommodation and travelling has also been an issue. Fans have to flock between the three host nations and 16 cities in total across the United States, Mexico and Canada.
FIFA President defended the ticket pricing
Meanwhile, the FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended World Cup ticket prices, saying, “if we do something wrong, then probably everyone selling tickets in North America is doing something wrong”.
Following criticism, FIFA offered USD 60 tickets to national federations for their regular supporters. The body president said that 130,000 tickets were offered in that category. The tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar ranged from USD 69 to USD 1,607.ย
“If you sell it at a lower price point,” he said, “in this particular market, it would have gone, which is perfectly legal in this country…in secondary markets at much, much, much higher prices and where would the money go then? Well, to those who organise secondary markets or black market activities and not to football,” he said before the start of the tournament.