World Cup openers between the U.S. and Canada are not sellouts days before the event, which is the first unexpected issue for FIFA during the tournament.
The U.S. Men’s national team will face Paraguay in Los Angeles on Friday before Canada takes on Bosnia and Herzegovina in its World Cup opener.
Days before, all 104 matches, according to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, are reportedly sold out. However, tickets are still available on FIFA’s primary marketplace and tens of thousands more seats on the resale market.
One possible cause of the low demand could be ticket prices. Standard ticket prices for the U.S. Match begin at $1,120 and can go up to $2,735 depending on location. These prices are significantly higher than ticket prices for many matches at the 2022 World Cup, even the final.
Politicians are becoming involved with the issue. The attorneys general in New York and New Jersey have begun an investigation into FIFA’s ticketing policies because of the high costs and concerns about customers potentially being misled about seat location.
Matches involving countries like Argentina and Portugal have had better demand, but FIFA should be hopeful that interest picks up when the matches start.
Mexico is the only host nation that has already sold out its first game against South Africa.
