Key events2m agoEmpty seats highlight fears over ticket pricing19m agoPreambleEmpty seats highlight fears over ticket pricingDid the official attendance between South Korea and Czechia marry up with the eye test? FIFA reported a crowd of 44,985 for Thursday’s World Cup match in Guadalajara but swathes of empty seats around the stadium renewed concerns over ticket pricing and demand for the expanded tournament.More here from Reuters:While more than 80,000 squeezed into the Azteca stadium to watch the opener between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa, the optics of unoccupied rows at the 46,000-seat stadium in Guadalajara, a city with a deep-rooted football culture, have intensified criticism of FIFA’s commercial strategy for the first 48-team World Cup.Some fans at the stadium blamed the high ticket prices for the rows of empty seats and criticised FIFA for their pricing model.FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday defended FIFA’s ticket pricing following criticism from supporters who argued the cost of attending matches had become prohibitive. He said ticket prices were on a par with other major sporting events.FIFA has sold more than six million tickets for the tournament and previously highlighted strong interest from across the Americas, with Infantino saying demand had exceeded expectations by “a factor of 10 or more“.However, groups such as Football Supporters Europe (FSE) had warned that “extortionate” pricing would exclude ordinary fans. According to FSE, ticket prices for this tournament have jumped fivefold compared to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.Reuters has contacted FIFA for comment.Let’s start with the two match reports. More red cards than goals in the first game and a stirring fightback from South Korea in the second.Mexico 2-0 South Africa – Jonathan Wilson was in the Azteca.South Korea 2-1 Czechia in Guadalajara.PreambleTwo down, 102 to go! Good news this morning if you’re a fan of Mexico or South Korea. Not so much for supporters of South Africa or Czechia. Even with the limited data so far, stats are spinning around the online universe, the most eye-popping being that the red count so far in this World Cup is just one fewer than the whole of Qatar 2022. A trend? We shall see. Other stats involve official attendances. More on that shortly.After Mexico took centre stage on Thursday, day two of World Cup 2026 sees the other two co-hosts in action. Canada take on Bosnia & Herzegovina in Group B before the USA host Paraguay in Group D, that one in the early hours of Saturday for UK viewers. Pat on the back if you’re reading this now having watched the first two games in their entirety.Anyway, we have five goals, three red cards, an opening ceremony and much else to talk about. No time for drinks breaks here, let’s get this going!