What is going to be a disaster World Cup is fast approaching. In addition to all the madness we see in the media and feel on our bodies every time we buy some, there are new messages that do not make the situation any better.
What actually billions of people look forward to every four years has now taken on such a strong aftertaste that many choose to stay away. – And it’s not just the extreme pricing, but also the chance of an unpleasant experience on the way to or at a match.
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The USA’s World Cup premiere against Paraguay was supposed to be a big celebration. Now, new figures show that thousands of tickets have still not been sold. The high prices are pointed out as the explanation.
The World Cup is fast approaching, and the United States stands as one of the host nations along with Canada and Mexico. But there are already clear warning signs ahead of the host nation’s opening match.
The USA’s first group game against Paraguay has had problems attracting spectators. According to The Athletic, ticket sales on April 10 were 40,934 tickets sold for the game played at SoFi Stadium outside Los Angeles. According to Fifa, the arena has a capacity of 69,650 spectators. This means that almost 30,000 seats are empty.
The numbers stand out because several other games in the same stadium are said to have sold better. Among other things, the meeting between Iran and New Zealand is reported to have reached over 50,000 tickets sold.
Now ticket prices are pointed out as the most important reason. When sales opened in October, the U.S. premiere was the third most expensive game of the entire tournament, beaten only by the final and a semifinal.
Tickets in the highest category cost 2,730 dollars, equivalent to about 25,000 kroner. The next level is USD 1,940, about NOK 18,000. This has made many supporters hesitate.
Fifa still does not agree with the picture of a failure. “Ticket sales for the World Cup are still strong, with great interest in all the matches,” a spokesperson told The Athletic.
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