Empty seats at US World Cup opener raise questions over ticket prices

Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.Jump to contentThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged inAllNewsSportCultureLifestyle2026 FIFA World Cup pregame festivities underwayThe USA's opening World Cup 2026 match against Paraguay in Los Angeles featured numerous empty seats, despite tickets being priced as high as $2,735. Similar instances of empty seats were observed at other early tournament matches, including South Korea vs. Czech Republic and Canada's opening game. This situation contradicts FIFA president Gianni Infantino's assertion of "unprecedented" demand, as only 29 out of 104 matches had sold out before the tournament commenced. Ticketing practices for the 2026 World Cup are under investigation by U.S. chief legal officers, who have subpoenaed FIFA over allegations of "artificially inflating prices" and "misleading fans." FIFA is accused of employing variable pricing and withholding seats to create scarcity, resulting in an average 34 percent price increase for many fixtures, making the tournament significantly more expensive than the previous World Cup. In fullEmpty seats at USA’s opening World Cup match after ticket price controversyThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in

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