FIFA facing empty seats as 2026 World Cup begins | OneFootball

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is now underway, and billions of people around the world will be tuning in.

However, the event has been somewhat overshadowed by a long-running ticket scandal, which has priced out the average fan.

Despite the intense demand, FIFA face the problem of having empty seats at the biggest tournament in the world. Even with the world converging on North America, why are there still so many empty seats?

FIFA’s dynamic pricing leads to empty seats at the 2026 World Cup

The World Cup is set to last six weeks over the summer, with 104 games played across 16 stadiums across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

FIFA has introduced dynamic pricing for the first time. Initially, FIFA priced tournament tickets as low as $60, with final tickets capped at $6,730 (excluding suites).

When the demand for tickets proved fierce, the price at general sale last December put the cheapest ticket at $140.

FIFA raised prices for almost all World Cup games, with prices increasing by an average of 34 percent. Some rose far higher, and the rise in prices on FIFA’s resale market are even more absurd.

For the US versus Paraguay fixture in Los Angeles, the cheapest ticket recently available cost $2,735.

Of course, there’s still a way to enjoy the tournament from home by supporting a team or trying your luck with sports betting.

If you’re interested in placing a bet on the World Cup, GOAL has a list available of fast-withdrawal betting sites in India.

With tickets still unsold despite sky-high demand, FIFA has flown too close to the sun with its pricing structure.

It’s also become clear that FIFA perhaps overestimated the demand for tickets to some matches with smaller fan bases.

While the US games will be highly sought after, demand for Austria vs Jordan will obviously be lower.

The Financial Times claims that as many as 180,000 tickets are currently unsold for the tournament. For a tournament with this level of demand, it’s incredibly embarrassing for FIFA.

FIFA’s resale marketplace causes chaos among fans

FIFA ran the only legal fan-to-fan resale channel for the tournament. In the US and Canada, there is no price cap on how much tickets can be sold for.

This has resulted in absurd price inflation for most games. Fans and journalists have spotted tickets on sale for thousands of dollars, including a final ticket priced at $143,750 in February.

FIFA continues to stress that it is a non-profit organisation, but its ticketing revenue is being pushed to its highest level ever, accounting for a larger share of tournament revenue than before.

The governing body will push back, saying that ticket prices match demand, but excessive prices exclude average match-going fans.