Empty Seats or Full Pockets? The Growing Backlash Over World Cup Ticket Prices | OneFootball

As World Cup ticket prices soar, an industry expert warns that FIFA’s premium-first pricing strategy risks empty stadiums, alienated fans, and a tournament that feels increasingly out of reach for the supporters who give the World Cup its meaning.

The noise around World Cup ticket prices is getting louder by the day, as fans race against the clock to organize flights, find places to stay, and secure seats in the stadium. For many, FIFA’s push into the U.S. market feels less like a celebration of the game and more like a hard sell, leaving a growing sense of frustration among traditional supporters. With dynamic pricing and third-party resellers driving costs higher, the overall expense quickly spirals out of control.

Including inflated accommodation prices, along with flights that can reach close to $2,000 per ticket from countries like Uruguay, a family of four can easily be looking at a $15,000 outlay before even arriving in the host nation. That reality raises an uncomfortable question: who is the World Cup really being priced for? It is clearly no longer designed for the die-hard fan, but instead for a “be there at any cost” audience, effectively locking many supporters out of attending matches.

At present, face-value group stage tickets generally range from around $140 to well over $2,700, while seats for the final stretch from roughly $4,185 to nearly $8,700.

This approach stands in stark contrast to UEFA’s strategy for EURO 2028, which is built around transparency, fixed pricing, and broad access. By delaying sales until the draw is complete, reserving over 40% of tickets in the lowest price categories, banning dynamic pricing and limiting resale to face value, UEFA is offering a clear alternative to the World Cup’s increasingly exclusive ticketing model.

Urban Pitch spoke with Jim McCarthy, CEO of Impresario Strategic, a veteran of more than 25 years in live event ticket sales who specializes in helping football clubs boost attendance and revenue through tailored, multi-year strategies. McCarthy currently works with clubs across Scotland, Australia, and the United States, focusing on understanding each market’s specific dynamics while refining pricing models, venue configuration, and the overall fan experience.

In our conversation, McCarthy addresses growing concerns around the FIFA World Cup’s expanded format and elevated ticket prices, particularly for lower-profile group stage matches that risk empty seats and weakened atmosphere. He believes FIFA has misread early-stage demand by pricing too aggressively, a sharp contrast to later rounds where interest and scarcity naturally support premium pricing.

Urban Pitch: In your view, what did FIFA get wrong with their World Cup ticket pricing?

Jim McCarthy: FIFA’s main mistake with World Cup ticketing was treating the entire tournament as if every match carried final-level demand. With more than 100 games in an expanded format, only the later rounds truly justify premium pricing. While finals and semifinals will always sell at high prices due to limited supply and massive demand, many group stage and Round of 32 matches simply don’t have that same pull.

By setting high prices early on, FIFA failed to properly account for the real market value of lower-profile games. Asking fans to pay hundreds of dollars for non-marquee group matches is unrealistic for most supporters and doesn’t reflect actual demand. As a result, unless prices adjust, the risk is clear: empty seats in the early stages, weaker atmospheres, and a tournament that looks less full until the later rounds, when demand naturally takes over.

Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images

Would that not be a major failure for the United States, given how much they hyped this World Cup and how in 1994, every match was sold out?

I think it’s critical that this doesn’t happen, which is why FIFA needs to keep adjusting its approach. From what I can tell, some changes are already being made, but those adjustments will have to continue across the board to better reflect reality. The challenge is that application numbers don’t always translate into actual ticket purchases, and without full transparency, it’s hard to know how strong real demand truly is.

If we look at the recent Club World Cup as a reference point, the parallels are clear. It was a relatively new tournament in the U.S., pricing was set aggressively, and the outcome was uneven: a handful of matches drew massive crowds, while many others were played in front of large sections of empty seats. I personally attended PSG vs. Atlético Madrid at the Rose Bowl with over 80,000 fans, and the atmosphere was fantastic, but plenty of other games simply didn’t generate that level of interest.

The expanded 48-team World Cup carries a similar risk. We’ve never seen a group stage this spread out in terms of quality and traditional rivalries, and there’s no real “group of death” this time around. While it’s great to see more nations represented, the reality is that many group-stage matchups will be less compelling to the average fan. People do want to attend World Cup matches, but not at any price.

At the end of the day, no organization is bigger than the market. You can’t force demand where it doesn’t exist, and if pricing is off, fans will simply stay away. That’s why further adjustments feel inevitable as the tournament approaches — because FIFA cannot afford a World Cup where empty seats become a recurring image, especially in the early stages.

Even if prices go down, logistically, travel could be a nightmare for people coming overseas or traveling within the United States, who need to secure tickets, accommodations, and in many cases airfare. Is the tournament losing time to get these issues resolved?

Yes, I agree completely, and I don’t think the approach they took was the right one. If it were up to me, I would have done the opposite: start with lower prices and gradually raise them where demand clearly justified it. That way, you can test the market in a controlled way: release a small amount of inventory for a match like Paraguay vs. Australia, see what sells and what doesn’t, and adjust accordingly. If certain sections move quickly, you raise prices slightly; if others lag, you lower them. That kind of measured, data-driven approach can be done well in advance and gives you a much clearer read on real demand.

What makes this even more important is that World Cup ticket buying isn’t like selling a normal match. Fans are also weighing flights, accommodation, and time off work, so pricing has to account for much bigger logistical and financial decisions. That’s why I believe the overall pricing strategy has been flawed, unless, of course, tickets are selling far better than it appears, which I don’t think is the case. Looking back at the Club World Cup, the same pattern emerged: not every match struggled, but many could have performed far better with a smarter mix of pricing, stadium selection and kickoff times.

Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images

Venue, schedule, and price, work together to determine whether crowds show up, and in a tournament like the World Cup, full stadiums matter. The atmosphere, the global image and the sense of occasion are all part of what makes the World Cup special, and empty seats undermine that. With the Club World Cup, the priority should have been filling stadiums to build momentum, history, and emotional buy-in for a new competition, rather than chasing premium prices too early. To FIFA’s credit, attendance improved as the tournament progressed and the matchups became more attractive, but they clearly underestimated how much certain teams drive demand, and how much that should influence pricing from the start.

A World Cup for Few Instead of Many

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From McCarthy’s point of view, the takeaway is straightforward: treating the World Cup as a premium product from the very start is a risky strategy. A tournament with more than 100 matches requires a far more balanced approach, one that clearly separates the true marquee moments from early group stage games with more limited appeal. When prices don’t reflect that reality, the risk goes beyond unsold tickets — it leads to empty seats that dilute the atmosphere, weaken the television product, and strip away some of the emotion that defines the World Cup.

That concern feels even sharper given how central this tournament has been positioned to the growth of the sport in the United States. Yet current pricing appears to do little to include the everyday fans who regularly attend MLS matches or follow the game week in and week out. With travel costs already stretching budgets, especially for international supporters, the margin for error is shrinking fast. As McCarthy emphasizes, fans are willing to show up when pricing, logistics, and value align. In the end, full stadiums matter more than squeezing out maximum revenue, and if FIFA hopes to recapture the spirit of 1994, a more flexible, market-aware ticketing strategy isn’t just advisable, it’s necessary.

Interview edited for clarity and brevity.