With the 2026 World Cup at the doorstep, FIFA is facing an unexpected problem: ticket sales. The governing body still has roughly 180,000 unsold seats across host cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The gap is raising fresh concerns about empty stadiums and the optics for soccer’s biggest tournament.
FIFA World Cup hit with empty seats concern amid unsold tickets
FIFA’s 2026 World Cup faces a cloud of empty-seat concerns as tens of thousands of tickets remain unsold just days ahead of the tournament opener.
Thursday, June 11, marks the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. But sky-high costs of tickets have shut many supporters out unless they splash out a fortune. Final tickets once hit almost $33,000 on the resale market, but now prices have since tumbled amid weakening demand, per The Mirror.
The USMNT opener against Paraguay still has 4,400+ unsold seats listed across official channels. Even with heavy discounts in place, the average ticket on the site is still priced above $800. Meanwhile, FIFA’s least expensive direct tickets are $1,120.
FIFA’s resale marketplace is showing 176,000 tickets for the opening group stage alone. On FIFA’s main ticketing site, around 15,000 seats are still directly available for group-stage matches.
Soaring initial costs and FIFA’s dynamic pricing model have triggered backlash from supporters and officials. New York and New Jersey authorities have opened investigations into “impossibly high” ticket prices.
FIFA had bragged about massive demand back in January, saying its site fielded over 500 million booking requests. Fast forward to now, median prices on the official resale portal are down 20% in a month. Factor in the 26% resale fee, and most resellers are probably losing money.
However, in the face of mounting criticism over high prices and falling sales, FIFA has released a limited batch of lower-cost tickets. The tournament opening under the shadow of sociopolitical unrest has become another flashpoint. Several security incidents have raised alarms, with gunfire reported close to England’s camp. Adding to the controversy, top official Omar Artan had his visa rejected even though his paperwork was in order.
Originally reported by Sibanee Gogoi on Mandatory.
