A Troubling Picture Two Days Before Kickoff
With just 48 hours until the 2026 World Cup begins, FIFA is facing an uncomfortable reality: approximately 180,000 tickets remain available on the official resale platform, raising the prospect of empty seats at the biggest tournament in football history. The sight of half-filled stadiums would be a significant embarrassment for an event being marketed as the most spectacular World Cup ever staged.
The 2026 edition is unprecedented in scale — 48 teams, 104 matches spread across three host nations: the United States, Canada, and Mexico. But that expansion, which was supposed to bring the World Cup to more fans than ever before, may have created a supply problem that demand simply cannot match.
Why Fans Are Staying Away
Several factors are contributing to sluggish ticket sales. The most significant is pricing. FIFA’s ticket fees for this tournament are substantially higher than those for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where stadiums were consistently full. For many fans, the cost of a ticket combined with transatlantic flights, accommodation, and the logistical challenges of navigating three different countries has proven prohibitive.
Visa and entry complications have also played a role. Supporters from nations including Senegal and Uzbekistan have reported stringent customs checks upon arrival in the United States, creating uncertainty that discourages travel. The Trump administration’s tightened immigration policies have added another layer of complexity for fans from certain countries.
The 104-Match Challenge
The decision to expand the tournament from 64 to 104 matches was always going to test the market. While Qatar’s compact geography allowed fans to attend multiple matches in a single day with ease, the North American footprint spans an entire continent, with venues spread from Vancouver to Mexico City. The practical difficulty of attending multiple matches has likely reduced demand for group-stage games featuring less popular teams.
There is also a question of local appetite. While soccer’s popularity continues to grow in the United States, it has not yet reached the fever pitch seen in traditional football nations. The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, also held in the United States, saw notably sparse crowds — a worrying precedent for FIFA.
FIFA’s Defense
The governing body is expected to argue that the raw numbers are misleading. With 104 matches instead of 64, the base of comparison shifts substantially. FIFA may also point to late surges in ticket sales, a pattern observed in previous tournaments, as evidence that interest remains strong. However, with the opening match between Mexico and South Africa just days away, the available inventory remains unusually high.
Reputational Risk
For a World Cup branded as the “greatest show on earth,” empty seats would be more than a logistical footnote — they would be a narrative problem. Television broadcasts panning across half-empty stands would undercut the spectacle that FIFA and its broadcast partners are selling. The image of a World Cup that failed to captivate the local market is one the organization will be desperate to avoid.
Conclusion
Whether last-minute sales will close the gap remains uncertain. What is clear is that the 2026 World Cup’s ambitious expansion has introduced challenges that previous tournaments never faced. The next few days will reveal whether the world’s appetite for live football matches its appetite for the game on screen.
— Based on reporting by RMC Sport
