180K World Cup Tickets Remain Unsold as Tournament Kicks Off

Cameron Kelly Updated: 8 hours ago

The 2026 World Cup is expected to attract millions of fans around the globe, yet tickets for the tournament have not sold out.

Ahead of the tournament, FIFA adopted a dynamic pricing model across eleven stadiums in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada.

As a result, they priced out the ordinary fan. Ticket prices started at $140-$380 for group stage matches, rising to over $1,000 for premium matches.

Final tickets at the New York/New Jersey Stadium are reaching over $10,000, with secondary markets listing certain seats for over $20,000.

In the last World Cup, prices were set between $70 to $1,600 when tickets were originally released.

Today, thousands of World Cup tickets remain unsold, and the opening matches are officially here.

Empty Seat Concerns Surround Host-Country Matches

Traditionally, opening matches are the most difficult tickets for fans to get, especially when the host nation is involved.

This year, it seems that only Mexico's opening match against South Africa among the three host countries is virtually sold out.

The United States opening match is tomorrow against Paraguay at Los Angeles Stadium, and it has roughly 10,000 unsold tickets lingering across primary and resale channels.

Is it too late to lower ticket prices?

Concerns over empty stadium seats have intensified as ticket prices continue to fall on the resale markets. Despite the tournament's global appeal, ticket prices have become one of the central storylines heading into the World Cup.

Out of the 104 matches 75 still have seats available, including matches in the round of 32, round of 16, and quarterfinal games.

It is estimated that the World Cup still has 180k tickets unsold across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Now, attention turns from ticket sales to the action on the pitch as fans get ready to watch the world's biggest sporting event.