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FIFA blames empty World Cup seats on fans who left them to watch from the concourses

FIFA reported a near-capacity crowd in Guadalajara, Mexico, but images showed large pockets of unoccupied seats.

Tom Parfitt, Jack Brewster
Updated Sat, June 13, 2026 at 10:56 AM EDT
3 min read

Fans in stadium seats at the World Cup soccer match between South Korea and the Czech Republic.
Empty seats were visible during South Korea's 2-1 win over the Czech Republic at the World Cup.
(AP Photo/Moises Castillo)More

FIFA pushed back Friday on viral images of swaths of empty seats at Thursday's World Cup match in Guadalajara, Mexico, saying the official attendance figure was accurate and that "several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout 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 in its statement.

Swaths of empty seats visible during Thursday's World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic have raised questions over FIFA's approach to record ticket prices for the tournament.

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