Thousands Of Empty Seats In South Korea Vs Czechia Puts Focus On FIFA's Ticketing Sham

Last Updated:June 12, 2026, 14:44 IST

Empty seats at South Korea vs Czech Republic in Guadalajara spark criticism of FIFA World Cup ticket prices, with fans and FSE attacking dynamic pricing and high costs.

Ticket pricing concerns resurfaced at the FIFA World Cup on Thursday after large sections of empty seats were visible during South Korea’s 2-1 victory over the Czech Republic in Guadalajara.

FIFA announced an official attendance of 44,985 inside the 46,000-capacity stadium for the Group A clash. However, large swathes of the stadium were empty, both visibly on the broadcast and as reported by media present on the ground, with even ballpark absence estimates reaching thousands.

The contrast was particularly striking given that more than 80,000 spectators packed the iconic Estadio Azteca for the tournament opener between Mexico and South Africa. Although the Azteca was always supposed to be sold out in the most popular competition in the world, Guadalajara is also regarded as one of Mexico’s football heartlands. carrying expectations of a much better atmosphere.

There are valid mitigating factors, like the importance of the match between two teams on the weaker spectrum in the competition, and quite far from their home bases. Czech also qualified quite late for the competition, leaving little time for their fans to prepare for the long journey.

However, a large number of supporters at the venue pointed to high ticket costs as a key reason behind the visible gaps in the stands, criticising FIFA’s pricing structure and arguing that attending matches has become increasingly unaffordable for ordinary fans.

The debate comes just a day after FIFA president Gianni Infantino defended the governing body’s ticketing policy amid growing criticism from supporters. Infantino insisted that World Cup ticket prices were comparable to those charged at other major global sporting events.

FIFA has repeatedly highlighted robust demand for the tournament, revealing that more than six million tickets have already been sold. Infantino previously claimed that demand had exceeded expectations ‘by a factor of 10 or more.’

However, fan advocacy groups remain unconvinced. The supporter organisation Football Supporters Europe (FSE) has criticised what it describes as ‘extortionate’ pricing, warning that rising costs risk shutting out traditional supporters. According to FSE, ticket prices for the current World Cup are roughly five times higher than those at the 2022 tournament in Qatar.

According to The Athletic, lower-tier tickets cost $500 (Rs. 47,470) each, and those at the top with a farther view cost $400 (Rs. 37,976). A large share of empty seats belonged to the high-end category, costing a staggering $5,000 (Rs 4,74,700) each.

FIFA have been criticised for treating the fans like ‘cash cows’. Instead of fixed prices, FIFA used a version of dynamic pricing, meaning costs skyrocketed based on demand. Tickets expected to be affordable ended up pricing out regular working-class supporters, who are the heart of football.

To make matters worse, FIFA held back huge blocks of tickets to create artificial scarcity. If fans wanted to resell tickets they could not use, they were forced to use FIFA’s official platform. This system let FIFA double dip, charging massive fees to both the buyer and the seller to take a huge cut of the resale value.

By one reported estimate, 180,000 tickets were unsold when the tournament kicked off on Thursday.

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