FIFA called out for 'embarrassing' World Cup debacle on opening day of tournament
South Korea faced off against Czechia in the second match of the World Cup, but it's not the action on the field of play that has much of the internet talking.
Following Mexico's impressive victory against South Africa in the opening match of the soccer tournament, South Korea and Czechia were in action just a few hours later at the Guadalajara Stadium in Mexico.
Fans tuning into the game would have noticed a fair few empty seats in the stadium, a look FIFA wanted to avoid with the tournament.
A stadium announcer said the attendance for the game was 44,985, with the stadia having a capacity of 45,664.
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While the match may have only been a few hundred off a sell-out, patches of empty seats were spotted throughout the stadium, including in areas opposite the TV camera, which many people spoke about online.
One person penned on X: "FIFA really priced out the fans and now the stadium looks like a midweek Europa League game. Empty seats at the World Cup is actually embarrassing."
A second added: "How is it possible having all these empty seats in the Akron Stadium (Guadalajara Stadium) in the second game of the World Cup?"
While a third joked: "The World Cup has the same attendance as my 8am lecture."
A FIFA spokesperson told UNILAD: "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. FIFA works closely with stadium authorities and ticketing teams to ensure all published figures are based on verified operational data.
“Please note that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.”
There has been a lot of controversy surrounding ticket prices for the World Cup, which FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended at a pre-tournament press conference earlier this week.
"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 organize secondary markets or black market activities and not to football."
The FIFA president went on to say the average ticket price was below $500 for the tournament. Tickets for group game matches start from $140, while tickets for the final have been listed for an eye-watering $8,680, according to the Associated Press.
Despite the prices, the FIFA president has previously spoken about the demand for World Cup tickets.
"You’ve heard, there were many discussions about the ticketing of the World Cup," Infantino said in April.
"We had 500 million ticket requests — 500 million ticket requests. In the last two World Cups together, we had 50 million ticket requests. Here, 500 million."
How much does it cost to attend the World Cup?
Soccer fans wanting to watch the games in person better have deep pockets. Here’s what accommodation, tickets and food and drink will cost:
Hotel costs
NBC has crunched the numbers on hotels, looking at the average for the five cheapest hotels within 15 miles of the station as of late last month.
Anyone booking a hotel to catch the US’ opening game against Paraguay on June 12 can expect to pay around $710 for a two-night hotel stay in Los Angeles.
Fans wanting to catch their match against Turkey on June 25 will pay a similar price.
To catch their game against Australia in Seattle on June 19, you can expect to pay $660.
Now to get your ticket for the game…
Ticket prices
Tickets for the opening game against Paraguay are still available from around $646, via Seatpick.
To watch the game against Australia or Turkey, tickets are selling from $640.
I bet all that number crunching has made you thirsty…
Food and drink prices at the World Cup
Prices at a warm-up match between England and New Zealand at the Raymond James stadium in Tampa, Florida on Saturday (6 June) might give an indication of what to expect in the World Cup proper, which is bad news for fans.
A large beer was advertised at $18.75, while just a bottle of water was priced at $7.50.
Meanwhile, according to Football Ground Guide, a basic meal and a beer will set you back $32.24 at the Los Angeles, or SoFi, Stadium, where the USA’s first and third games of the group stage will take place.
Meanwhile, the same at Lumen Field, Seattle, where the US will play Australia, will cost $26.88.
Callum Jones