Empty seats at the "2026 World Cup" spark controversy over ticket price increases.

The limited attendance at one of the matches of the 2026 World Cup has brought the discussion about the ticket pricing policy adopted by FIFA back to the forefront, as the stands of the stadium in the Mexican city of Wadi al-Hijara appeared almost full on paper, but showed a noticeable number of empty seats during the match.

Despite FIFA announcing an attendance of 44,985 spectators for the match between South Korea and the Czech Republic, the television footage and images circulated from inside the stadium raised questions about the actual turnout for some matches of the tournament, especially in its first edition featuring 48 teams.

This controversy comes at a time when the opening match between Mexico and South Africa witnessed a large turnout of over 80,000 spectators at the Azteca Stadium, highlighting the clear difference between the two matches and reigniting criticism regarding the high ticket prices.

Several fans who attended the match attributed the low occupancy of the stands to the high cost of attending the matches, considering that the current pricing policy limits the ability of ordinary fans to follow the global event from the stands.

In response to these observations, FIFA clarified that the official attendance figures are based on the number of tickets that were electronically verified at the stadium entrances, rather than on visual estimates of seat occupancy during the match.

FIFA confirmed that the published data relies on accurate operational data verified in coordination with stadium officials and ticketing authorities, noting that some fans preferred to stand in the aisles or move around the stadium during the match, which may explain the discrepancy between the official figures and the visual impression.

The match between South Korea and the Czech Republic represented the first real test of FIFA's pricing policy, considering that the opening match for the Mexican team was already expected to achieve record attendance.