FIFA struggling to sell tickets for USMNT World Cup opener

FIFA are struggling to sell tickets for the USMNT’s opening World Cup match against Paraguay on June 12 in a potentially humiliating blow to its dynamic pricing strategy. 

The co-hosts are due to take on their south American neighbours on home soil at the 69,650-capacity SoFi Stadium. 

But a document distributed to Los Angeles organisers on April 10 listed just 40,934 tickets purchased for the match. 

The document doesn’t break out hospitality or held-back inventory, and FIFA declined to clarify when asked. But even allowing for the unknowns, the picture is not flattering. 

FIFA priced the opener as the third-most expensive match of the entire tournament when tickets first dropped last October. Only the final and one semi-final cost more. Category 1 and Category 2 seats at $2,730 and $1,940 are still available. Thousands have been listed on FIFA’s ticketing platform since the “Last-Minute Sales Phase” launched on April 1. 

US Soccer supporter groups received a targeted email last week, advertising an “additional opportunity” to access tickets to the opener. That’s not a phrase any federation wants to be using two months out from kick-off. 

The other SoFi fixture, between the US and Turkey, is also reportedly tracking under 40,000 sold as of April 10, but FIFA has nudged Category 1 prices for that one up from $805 to $990.  

Is this a pricing problem, or is this due to the unpopularity of the USMNT? The team has form for sparse home crowds. When the US played Panama and Canada at SoFi in the Concacaf Nations League last March, the stadium was largely empty until the Mexico match started later that night. They have rarely played in front of a partisan Southern California crowd in any cycle except for World Cup 1994. 

Either way, difficult questions will be asked of both FIFA and the USMNT if the team begins its World Cup campaign in front of rows of empty seats.