Challenges and History of Demand Issues for FIFA World Cup Tickets

Current Demand Concerns for 2026 FIFA World Cup

The organizers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup are facing challenges due to weaker than expected demand and concerns about undersold games. The prospect of empty seats and incomplete stadiums is a recurring issue in previous tournaments, yet FIFA, the global governing body of soccer, asserts that sales are solid. They believe demand is sufficient to justify the ticket prices set for this year’s tournament, which have led to lawsuits from fans and investigations by host-city officials. High costs are cited as a factor why some fans appear reluctant to attend, with surveys indicating below-forecast booking rates at host city hotels.

Figures from TicketData.com reveal around 25,000 seats remain available via FIFA’s main ticketing platform, although recent days have seen shifts due to last-minute ticket releases. Additionally, approximately 17,000 tickets were available through the organization’s resale channel for matches involving the host nation.

Historical Context of Empty Seats at FIFA World Cups

Is This a New Problem?

It seems many seats will remain unoccupied once the competition begins across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. This situation may be worsened by the event’s expanded format, featuring 48 teams and 104 games. Yet, this issue is not novel for FIFA or the quadrennial World Cup.

South Africa 2010

While overall attendance was robust in 2010, ranking third in World Cup history with nearly 3.2 million attendees, some group-stage matches saw blocks of empty seats. A sports journalist tweeted about the numerous vacant seats during South Africa’s final game. FIFA initiated an investigation into transportation issues, believing some fans may have struggled to reach the stadiums. They attributed the problem to corporate and government ticket holders, as well as overseas fans who didn’t attend matches despite holding tickets.

Brazil 2014

Brazil, known for its soccer tradition, also contended with reports of underfilled arenas. This was attributed to local fans being priced out, and FIFA failing to redirect returned tickets from sponsors. Like South Africa, FIFA pointed to the issue of no-shows, citing uncollected tickets by people who did not utilize the resale platform.

Russia 2018

Empty seats became apparent during the second match, between Uruguay and Egypt. Large sections were visibly empty, prompting FIFA to confirm that approximately 5,000 seats remained vacant. They noted the official attendance but identified no-shows as a potential cause, which they were actively investigating.

Qatar 2022

Despite extensive preparation and substantial investment, Qatar was similarly plagued by reports of unfilled seats. Even though games were marked as sold out, empty seats were evident from the start, persisting through to the final match between Argentina and France. Some analysts speculated that organizers might have inaccurately estimated stadium capacity.

FIFA’s Ongoing Ticketing Battle

In late May, FIFA informed Newsweek that ticket sales for the 2026 World Cup were strong, with notable interest in all matches. A spokesperson confirmed over 5 million tickets sold. Tickets remained available on a first-come-first-served basis at fifa.com/tickets until the tournament ended, as part of the Last-Minute Sales Phase.

Most unsold tickets are floating on the resale market through FIFA’s terminal or sites like StubHub and SeatGeek. These sellers might use or abandon the tickets if buyers are not found at their pricing. Until mid-May, prices on these sites were dropping, indicating difficulties for resellers. An analysis revealed nearly 180,000 tickets listed on official resale channels days before the competition.

FIFA saw a drop in tickets available directly from them by about 44,000 in late May, and no explanation was offered for this decrease. Observations indicated a subsequent increase in resale listings, suggesting a transfer of inventory to lower resale costs and reduce unsold seats. However, no official confirmation exists that this maneuver aimed to influence demand or pricing strategically.