FIFA blames – FIFA said the empty seats seen during the World Cup match in Guadalajara between South Korea and the Czech Republic were caused by ticketed fans watching from concourses rather than their assigned seats. FIFA also clarified how it calculates official attendanc
GUADALAJARA. Mexico — The seats looked quiet at Guadalajara Stadium. even as the match between South Korea and the Czech Republic played out inside. On Thursday. with a stadium capacity of 45. 664. there were many visible empty spots. including sections in the middle of the stands and scattered vacant chairs across the venue.
FIFA’s announced attendance for the game was 44,985 — a number that included FIFA President Gianni Infantino. But FIFA pushed back against the idea that the visible gaps reflected poor turnout. The governing body said the official figure is based on tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint. not on how full seats appear at any given moment during the match.
“Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint. rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment during the match. ” FIFA said. It added that it works closely with stadium authorities and ticketing teams so published figures come from verified operational data.
FIFA then described what it said was happening in the venue. “Please note that. during last night’s match in Guadalajara. several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.” FIFA also said there was indeed a significant number of fans standing on the concourses and by the concession stands throughout Thursday’s match.
The debate didn’t stop at Mexico. The report also mentioned empty seats in Toronto during Canada’s first World Cup match on home soil. On Friday. Toronto Stadium was close to full. but there were some empty spots. especially close to the field in the lower bowl and in a high corner of temporary seating. Toronto Stadium has an official capacity of 43. 036 and is the smallest venue in the tournament. so extra seats were added to meet FIFA’s minimum standards.
FIFA’s announced attendance for Canada’s match on Friday was 43,002. The same weekend was busy in Toronto beyond the stadium, with the Blue Jays hosting the New York Yankees and the Canadian Open golf tournament about an hour away.
The seating controversy sits alongside FIFA’s broader approach to ticketing. FIFA has charged record ticket prices at 11 stadiums in the United States, three in Mexico, and two in Canada. The soccer body has used dynamic pricing and has repeatedly raised prices since tickets first went on sale last fall.
Infantino defended those prices on Wednesday as fitting the North American market, but they have drawn criticism for list prices that have reached five figures.
Even with the backlash, the tournament has shown strong demand on paper: before the tournament started on Thursday, 29 games were sold out (with wheelchair seats available for some of those), and 75 still had tickets remaining.
FIFA World Cup Guadalajara South Korea Czech Republic empty seats concourses attendance figures Gianni Infantino Toronto Stadium Canada vs dynamic pricing ticket prices
Empty seats but FIFA says it’s all fine… sure.
So they’re counting people like the ticket scanner counts, not what you can actually see? That’s kinda wild. I feel like if fans are out by the food stands then that still looks empty.
Wait, didn’t they say attendance was 44,985 but the stadium was basically dead? Feels like they just forgot to factor in that Infantino was the whole show lol. Also concourses?? Like why would that even happen unless the stadium layout is trash.
I don’t get it, if seats look empty then how is it “official” they weren’t? Like maybe people were in the concourse holding their tickets like mannequins. And this happens in Toronto too so it’s not just Mexico, right? FIFA always has some math explanation but it’s still embarrassing when you can literally see the gaps.