The 2026 World Cup opened in extraordinary fashion as three players were sent off and co-hosts Mexico beat South Africa in a dramatic match at a packed Azteca Stadium. But the spectacle was swiftly overshadowed by a ticket price crisis that left large patches of empty seats at other matches, humiliating FIFA.
FIFA adopted variable pricing for the first time in World Cup history, driving up prices by an average of 34 percent last October. The cheapest standard finals tickets cost $5,785 (£4,315), with some appearing on resale pages for close to $33,000 (£24,621). The move priced out legions of fans.
“Three red cards and empty seats mar World Cup opener as ticket crisis leaves thousands of seats unsold.”
The consequences were stark. At Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, where South Korea faced Czechia, large patches of empty seats were visible. Earlier this month, the organisation quietly reduced prices across all 104 scheduled matches and released 70 percent of bulk-reserved hotel rooms. Yet as the eve of the tournament, around 180,000 tickets were still listed on official FIFA resale platforms, and 15,000 group-stage tickets were available directly through its site.
The second home match of the cup saw Canada face Bosnia at Toronto Stadium on Thursday at 3pm local time (8pm BST), with Canada named strong favourites. But the controversy over attendance continues to hang over the competition, with the opening day’s empty seats raising questions about whether fans will fill the stadiums for the remainder of the tournament.