FIFA is facing mounting scrutiny as ticket sales for the USA vs Paraguay opening match of the 2026 World Cup at SoFi Stadium continue to lag well behind expectations.
Despite being the host nation’s first appearance in the expanded tournament, the match has sold just 40,934 tickets as of April 10, far below the stadium’s 69,650 World Cup capacity.
This places the U.S. opener behind several other fixtures at the same venue—an embarrassing development for FIFA, which has repeatedly claimed unprecedented demand for the tournament.
Why USA vs Paraguay Ticket Sales Are Lagging Behind Other World Cup Matches
Internal documents obtained by The Athletic and shared with local organizers show that the USA opener is being outsold by multiple neutral‑site matches.
For example, Iran vs New Zealand—played three days later at the same stadium—had already sold 50,661 tickets, nearly 10,000 more than the U.S. match.
Other fixtures such as Bosnia & Herzegovina vs Switzerland and Iran vs Belgium have also surpassed the U.S. opener in sales, highlighting a broader trend: American fans are not buying at the levels FIFA anticipated.
Even more concerning for organizers, fewer than 40,000 tickets had been sold for the U.S. team’s other group-stage match at SoFi Stadium, against Turkey.
Sky‑High Ticket Prices Are Driving Fans Away
The clearest reason for the sluggish sales is pricing.
FIFA set the USA vs Paraguay match as the third‑most expensive game of the entire tournament, behind only the final and one semifinal. Category pricing includes:
- Category 1: $2,730
- Category 2: $1,940
- Category 3: $1,120
These prices have remained unchanged even as other matches saw increases, making the U.S. opener a notable outlier in FIFA’s dynamic pricing strategy.
Fans have responded predictably: thousands of tickets remain available on FIFA’s official platform, and over 4,000 tickets have appeared on the resale market—some already below face value, indicating soft demand.
FIFA’s Ticketing Strategy Under Fire
FIFA’s broader ticketing approach has been widely criticized for:
- Dynamic pricing that inflates costs
- Opaque inventory practices
- Confusing sales windows
- A lack of affordable ticket options
Despite FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s public insistence that “every match is sold out,” internal data and the sudden reopening of sales windows suggest otherwise.
In fact, tickets were available for 64 of the 104 matches, including the U.S. opener—contradicting FIFA’s messaging.
A Troubling Look for FIFA Ahead of a Home World Cup
The USA’s opening match should have been one of the easiest fixtures to sell out.
Instead, the combination of exorbitant pricing, fan frustration, and mixed messaging has created a situation where even a home World Cup match is struggling to fill seats.
As travel, accommodation, and general costs for attending the World Cup continue to rise, FIFA’s pricing strategy appears increasingly out of touch with supporters—especially American fans who expected a more accessible experience for their first home World Cup since 1994.
With less than two months until kickoff, FIFA faces a real risk: a half‑empty stadium for the host nation’s opener, broadcast to the world from one of the most expensive venues ever built.
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