FIFA was desperate to avoid that visual heading into this summer's soccer festival, having drastically cut ticket prices for all 104 matches in a bid to entice more supporters to the US, Canada and Mexico.

There could be empty seats for the World Cup opening ceremony and the first match

The 2026 World Cup kicks off on Thursday, but FIFA is facing an embarrassing situation with close to 180,000 unsold tickets still available for the group stage of the tournament