FIFA blames ‘fans standing in concourses’ for empty seats at World Cup match

3 min readJun 13, 2026 03:09 PM IST

South Korean players gesture to fans following their World Cup Group A soccer match win over Czechia in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, Mexico, Thursday, June 11, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

FIFA has pointed at “fans standing in concourses” as the reason behind empty seats in the World Cup Group A match between South Korea and Czechia, in Guadalajara. While the global football body announced an attendance of 44,985 at the 46,000-seater Estadio Akron, sections in the middle of the stands showed many unoccupied spaces, and other empty seats were scattered around the venue as well.

This led to allegations of attendance inflation from critics, who have also been lambasting the unprecedentedly high ticket prices for the 2026 edition.

In an official statement, FIFA attempted to clear the air. “Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment during the match.”

The governing body added that it works closely with stadium authorities and ticketing teams to make sure all published figures are based on verified operational data. “Please note that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.”

Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment during the match. FIFA works closely with stadium authorities and ticketing teams to… pic.twitter.com/H3ijCEjbJS

— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) June 12, 2026

The Toronto Stadium was almost full for Canada’s campaign opener at home, but there were some empty seats, near the pitch in the lower bowl, and in a high corner of temporary seating. The stadium, with an official capacity of 43,036, is the smallest venue in the tournament and needed to have the extra seats added to meet FIFA’s minimum standards. The announced attendance on Friday was 43,002.

Earlier, over 80,000 spectators were at the Azteca stadium to witness the opening match between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa, and it was mostly Mexican fans in attendance at Estadio Akron for the second fixture. Though there was a considerable South Korean presence in the stands, there seemed to be only a handful of Czech supporters for the match, which the Koreans won 2-1.

FIFA has been using dynamic pricing and has repeatedly increased the prices since tickets first went on sale last fall. Before the quadrennial extravaganza began, 29 games were sold out (wheelchair seats were available for a few of those) and 75 had tickets available.

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