Visible gaps in stadium seating during Thursday’s World Cup game in Guadalajara have brought fresh scrutiny to the tournament’s ticket pricing strategy, despite official attendance figures showing 44,985 spectators for the South Korea versus Czech Republic match.
The contrast was stark compared to the tournament opener, where more than 80,000 fans packed the Azteca stadium to watch co-hosts Mexico face South Africa. The sight of unoccupied sections at the 46,000-capacity venue in Guadalajara—a city known for its passionate soccer following—has amplified criticism of the governing body’s commercial approach to the first 48-team World Cup.
Spectators present at the match pointed to expensive ticket costs as the reason behind the empty sections, expressing frustration with the current pricing structure.
The governing body’s president defended the ticket pricing strategy on Wednesday amid mounting criticism from supporters who say attendance costs have become unaffordable. He argued that ticket prices matched those of other major sporting competitions.
Tournament organizers report selling more than 6 million tickets and have previously emphasized strong interest throughout the Americas, with the president stating demand had surpassed expectations “a factor of 10 or more.”
Despite these claims, advocacy groups like Football Supporters Europe have cautioned that “extortionate” pricing would shut out regular fans. The organization notes that ticket costs for this tournament have increased fivefold compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
South Korea defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in the Group A contest.
