Ticket sales for the United States’ opening match of the 2026 World Cup are not meeting expectations, according to a document distributed to local organisers.
The document, dated April 10, shows that sales for the US versus Paraguay match are behind those of other games in Los Angeles. The US and Paraguay will meet in the opening Group D match at the 2026 World Cup.
Sales Figures Spark Debate
As of April 10, 40,934 tickets had been purchased for the June 12 match between the U.S. and Paraguay at SoFi Stadium. This compares with 50,661 for the Iran-New Zealand match three days later at the same venue. FIFA lists the stadium’s capacity at 69,650 for the 2026 World Cup.
FIFA declined to clarify whether the figures included hospitality and other ticket types not sold to the general public. A FIFA spokesperson stated that “ticket sales for the FIFA World Cup remain strong with a high degree of interest for all matches, including the ones you have highlighted.”
The spokesperson argued that the document “does not accurately reflect actual sales to date” and that publishing such figures would be “misleading and irresponsible”. However, the spokesperson did not specify why or how the numbers were inaccurate or misleading.
High Prices May Be a Factor
The document appears to support evidence that the U.S. opener has not been selling as well as anticipated. When FIFA initially put tickets on sale in October, the June 12 match was priced as the third-most expensive of the entire World Cup, surpassed only by the final and one semi-final.
Category 1 and Category 2 tickets, priced at $2,730 and $1,940 respectively, have remained available throughout subsequent sales phases. This suggests that fans have been deterred by the high price tags. For the majority of other games, available tickets have been quickly snapped up.
FIFA, sensing “unprecedented” demand, has raised prices for most matches, often by hundreds of dollars.
US Match Prices Frozen
FIFA has kept prices frozen at $2,730, $1,940 and $1,120 in its three main categories for U.S.-Paraguay. It is the only match featuring a co-host – the U.S., Canada or Mexico – that has not seen prices hiked over the past six months.
By contrast, the Category 1 price for Mexico’s opener against South Africa has risen from $1,825 in October to $2,985 currently. Thousands of tickets to U.S.-Paraguay have been listed on FIFA’s ticketing site since the “Last-Minute Sales Phase” began on April 1.
On April 9, when tracking of availability started, 2,529 tickets were available on a first-come, first-served basis. Ten days later…