FIFA said the empty-seat look at Guadalajara’s World Cup match came from fans standing in concourses, not from a mismatch in the official crowd count. The episode also feeds into the tournament’s wider ticket-pricing conversation.
FIFA defended the optics of visible empty seats at the Korea Republic-Czechia Group A match in Guadalajara, saying many ticketed fans were in the concourses rather than their assigned seats.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup opens Thursday, June 11, in Mexico City with Mexico vs. South Africa. Here’s the schedule, kickoff times and U.S. TV details for opening day.