Overview
- The tournament kicked off Thursday with the South Korea–Czech Republic match in Guadalajara showing large empty sections, especially in VIP and hospitality areas despite FIFA's near-capacity attendance figure.
- Ticket costs reported across host cities range from a few hundred dollars for lower tiers to hospitality packages listed as high as about $9,225, with many standard tickets still selling for several hundred dollars.
- Hundreds to thousands of tickets remained listed for sale on official and resale platforms for multiple group matches, and some reports put unsold or stuck inventory at close to 180,000 tickets as the event began.
- National figures and fan groups have criticised FIFA's allocations and pricing, with Scotland manager Steve Clarke calling his country's allocation 'a joke' and warning fans not to go into debt to attend.
- FIFA defends the model as revenue the organization says it reinvests into football and free broadcasts, but organisers now face reputational risk, weaker stadium atmospheres and pressure to adjust sales or pricing as the group stage unfolds.