The prices of FIFA World Cup 2026 tickets have been brought into question once again as empty seats were spotted at the stadium in the South Korea vs Czech Republic clash in Estadio Guadalajara, which has sparked concerns regarding accessibility and pricing for the upcoming 48-team tournament.
The official attendance at the match on Thursday was 44,985 in a seating capacity of 46,000. But several unoccupied areas can be seen in TV broadcasts and at the stadium, which didn’t match reported figures and the perception of stadium occupancy. This was after a high-energy opening game against South Africa at the Estadio Azteca, which drew over 80,000 viewers from the host nation, and is expected to be a popular attraction in the host country.
There is discussion about the pricing tiers, elasticity of demand and market segmentation between fixtures after the big difference in turnout between the two. The broadened structure of the tournament, according to analysts, will bring more players from around the world but will also allow for uneven demand. Games staged without host nations and no international megastars teams to rely on often have lower demand for tickets, especially if ticket prices remain at high international standards.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 ticket price is now moving towards the idea of dynamic pricing and localized pricing, which would look to equate stadium usage across all games. Over-ambitious commercial positioning could damage the atmosphere of the stadium and the optics of the game at the global level, critics say, both of which play a key role in the perception of the tournament. The idea behind FIFA’s commercial plan is to get the most out of the first ever 48-team World Cup staged among the USA, Canada and Mexico.
