Soccer fans are furious over FIFA’s World Cup ticket price hikes, but the sales show the United States men’s opener could be hit the hardest

It looks like every big sporting event is tied to a controversy or two. Following one of the biggest competitions in the world, the Super Bowl LX, which seemingly went quite controversial due to the half-time show performance, the FIFA World Cup 2026 appears to be next. No, it’s not because of Iran’s absence from the competition, as Gianni Infantino has confirmed it will be playing, but the ticket prices that have become a hot topic in the sports community worldwide.

We have already heard about the NJ Transit drama, which might force fans to pay a 775 percent extra amount for a train to reach the stadium. This, combined with the already skyrocketing ticket prices, it’s quite obvious that several fans might not be able to afford to watch the soccer matches. But as reported by the Daily Mail, sales figures have recently been revealed, which suggest that the US men’s national team’s opening match could suffer the most.

Yes, it’s quite a financial challenge for fans to be able to visit, especially in current economic times, but don’t forget that teams will also suffer when fewer people show up. According to a document obtained by The Athletic, the tickets sold for the US-Paraguay match are just 40,934 as of yet. This shows that fans are backing off right after showing frustration over the rising ticket and transportation prices.

This stadium is capable of holding nearly 70,000 fans, but it looks like many are preferring sitting at home for other games as well

If you think that over 40,000 tickets sold means a lot of fans are attending, you are right. But in comparison to this stadium’s maximum capacity, you might see plenty of empty seats if things continue to stand as they are now. The match will be held at SoFi Stadium, located in Los Angeles, and as per FIFA, this venue is capable of seating up to 69,650 fans. That’s a lot of empty seats in comparison to the tickets sold for the game.

For those who are thinking it can’t go down, the ticket sales for the match against Turkiye at the same stadium might disappoint. Per The Athletic, the figure goes below 40,000 for the US-Turkiye final group stage. In comparison to other games between different nations, the ticket sales for the US are not looking promising.

The Iran-New Zealand game, which will be held just three days after the US-Paraguay has sold over 10,000 tickets more than the USA. Similarly, Bosnia-Switzerland sits at 47,000 tickets, and Iran-Belgium sits at over 50,000 per the outlet. Soccer is also one of the most-watched sports in the USA, whether it’s the president inviting Messi to the White House or fans debating over the ultimate soccer GOAT, the ticket sales can potentially go way above than it’s now.

As things stand, the prices seem to be one of the concrete reasons to blame for low fan interest. While it could be too early to judge, as the match will take place on June 12, FIFA can theoretically boost the sale if they shave off some dollars from the ticket cost. As of yet, no reports suggest a convincing price drop.