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FIFA blames concourse crowds; only 29 matches sold out

6/13/2026

49 3 Full Breakdown

Summary

Story summary

FIFA said many empty seats were actually occupied by ticketed fans standing in concourses instead of the stadium bowl.
Category 1 and Category 2 tickets cost $1,645–$2,240, pricing many fans out.
Only 29 of 104 matches were sold out before the World Cup, fueling criticism of dynamic pricing.
FIFA counted President Gianni Infantino in attendance and works with stadium authorities to verify data.

History

Historical Context

In 1994 the United States hosted the FIFA World Cup, and several first-round matches left almost 11,000 seats empty, prompting FIFA to note criticism of ticket pricing. FIFA later reported that early-round attendance in the 2010 tournament was only second to 1994, underscoring a pattern of pricing-related seat shortages that have persisted in later World Cups.

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Story summary

FIFA said many empty seats were actually occupied by ticketed fans standing in concourses instead of the stadium bowl.
Category 1 and Category 2 tickets cost $1,645–$2,240, pricing many fans out.
Only 29 of 104 matches were sold out before the World Cup, fueling criticism of dynamic pricing.
FIFA counted President Gianni Infantino in attendance and works with stadium authorities to verify data.

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