FIFA reported a near capacity crowd but said fans who chose to watch from the concourses.
FIFA is defending its attendance numbers after images showing large sections of empty seats during a World Cup match in Mexico spread across social media and sparked fresh debate over the cost of attending the tournament.
Photos and television broadcasts from Thursday’s group stage match between South Korea and the Czech Republic at Guadalajara Stadium appeared to show numerous vacant seats, particularly in premium sections close to the field.
The images quickly drew attention online, with fans questioning whether the governing body’s ticket pricing strategy has made some World Cup matches inaccessible to ordinary supporters.
FIFA, however, insists the stadium was close to full capacity.
FIFA says attendance numbers remain accurate
In a statement issued Friday, FIFA said the official attendance figure for the match was 44,985 spectators at Guadalajara Stadium, which has a capacity of approximately 46,000.
The organization explained that attendance is calculated based on the number of tickets scanned and the number of people present within the stadium grounds rather than the number of fans sitting in their assigned seats at any particular moment.
FIFA also said many ticket holders appeared to spend portions of the match in the concourses rather than remaining in their seats.
The governing body maintained that the reported attendance accurately reflected the crowd inside the venue despite the images circulating online.
Still, the explanation has done little to quiet criticism, as fans and observers continue to debate why so many seats appeared empty during one of soccer’s biggest events.
Images spark questions about ticket prices
Much of the criticism surrounding the empty sections has centered on the cost of tickets.
According to reports, several of the unoccupied seats were located in VIP and hospitality areas near the pitch, where premium packages have sold for thousands of dollars.
Hospitality tickets for some matches have reportedly reached prices around $5,000, while lower tier seats for group stage games have cost several hundred dollars.
Those figures represent a significant increase compared with previous tournaments and have reignited concerns among supporters that the World Cup is becoming increasingly expensive.
Fan advocacy group Football Supporters Europe has been among the organizations criticizing FIFA’s pricing approach.
The group previously argued that ticket costs for the 2026 tournament are substantially higher than those seen at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar and said the pricing structure risks excluding many longtime supporters from attending matches.
Dynamic pricing remains controversial
Part of the debate stems from FIFA’s use of dynamic pricing, a system that adjusts ticket costs based on demand. The approach is widely used in industries such as air travel and live entertainment, but it has proven controversial in sports, where fans often expect prices to remain relatively stable.
When tickets for the 2026 World Cup first became available last year, the least expensive group stage seats started at about $140. That represented a sharp increase from the entry-level prices available during the previous World Cup in Qatar, where comparable tickets began at around $69.
Critics have also pointed to earlier tournament bid documents that referenced the possibility of significantly cheaper tickets, raising expectations that attending matches would remain affordable for a broad range of fans.
While FIFA has defended its pricing model, arguing that demand for World Cup matches remains exceptionally strong, some games have reportedly not sold out.
More than six million tickets sold
Despite the controversy, FIFA says interest in the tournament remains high.
The organization has reported selling more than six million tickets across the competition so far, underscoring the global appeal of the World Cup even as concerns over affordability persist.
Guadalajara Stadium, which hosted Thursday’s match, is one of the tournament’s smaller venues with a capacity of roughly 46,000 spectators. Only Toronto Stadium in Canada seats fewer fans among the venues selected for the 2026 event.
The South Korea versus Czech Republic game itself delivered excitement on the field, with South Korea earning a 2-1 victory.
Off the pitch, however, the conversation has shifted toward fan access and the economics of attending the world’s most prestigious soccer tournament.
As the competition continues, FIFA is likely to face continued scrutiny over its ticketing policies and whether rising prices are contributing to the sight of empty seats at matches that are officially considered near sellouts.
For many fans, the debate is no longer simply about attendance figures. It is about who can afford to be part of the World Cup experience in the years ahead.