The United States’ opening World Cup match against Paraguay at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles played out in front of more empty seats, despite Fifa president Gianni Infantino’s claim that demand has been “unprecedented”. 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 70,000-capacity stadium. Tickets remained on sale hours before kick-off at $1,940 to $2,735 for Category 1 and 2 seats. Last month, US president Donald Trump said he “wouldn’t pay” those four-figure prices.
The empty seats were not an isolated problem. Thousands were empty at the second match of the tournament between South Korea and Czech Republic in Guadalajara, and at Canada’s opening match against Bosnia in Toronto. Only 29 matches had sold out before the tournament began, with tickets still available for 75 matches in the days before the opening game. The ticketing practices are now being investigated by the attorneys general of New York and New Jersey, who have subpoenaed Fifa. Fans reported being “misled” about seat locations, and variable pricing allowed Fifa to raise prices on about 90 of the 104 fixtures by an average of 34 per cent. Infantino defended the costs, comparing them to US sports playoff games, insisting the World Cup is a bigger event.
“USA's World Cup opener marred by empty seats, $22 beers, and a Katy Perry performance widely panned as a trainwreck.”
Off the pitch, the tournament faces a host of other problems. Channel 4 News reported that a host nation is at war with another team’s country, Iranian fans have been denied tickets, and a Somali referee was denied entry to the United States. The opening game itself, Mexico against South Africa, kicked off the competition, but the ceremonial start in Los Angeles drew criticism. Katy Perry performed an “underwhelming ballad” just before the USA-Paraguay match, and fans slammed her performance, calling it a “trainwreck” and saying she “sounded terrible”.
For those who did attend, the cost of concessions added to the sting. Fans at SoFi Stadium paid $22 for a beer, with craft and import beers ranging from $18.50 to $22.75. Signature cocktails cost $26, a hot dog $10, and a shredded beef burrito $19.25. The price list was revealed as the USA scraped a 1-0 win against Paraguay, courtesy of a comical own goal. As one fan put it, they’d rather not stomach a team loss – but at these prices, the pain is already felt.