Empty seats at Korea-Czech match spark fan fury: 'Worst World Cup ever'

Empty seats are visible at Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico, during the 2026 North America World Cup Group A opener between South Korea and the Czech Republic on Thursday. [Reuters]

Swaths of empty seats spotted throughout the stadium during South Korea's group-stage match against the Czech Republic at the 2026 North America World Cup have drawn a wave of complaints from fans.

British outlet The Sun reported Friday that vacant sections at Akron Stadium in Guadalajara, Mexico — where South Korea defeated the Czech Republic 2-1 in their Group A opener — had prompted an outpouring of anger from World Cup fans, with sky-high ticket prices blamed for leaving seats unsold.

South Korea, coached by Hong Myung-bo, came from behind to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 at Akron Stadium in Zapopan on Thursday. The Czechs took the lead in the 14th minute of the second half through Ladislav Krejci, but South Korea leveled in the 22nd minute of the second half via Hwang In-beom before Oh Hyeon-gyu sealed the comeback in the 35th minute of the second half, earning the team three points.

Czech Republic's Patrik Schick (left) and South Korea's Seol Young-woo compete for the ball during the 2026 North America World Cup Group A match between South Korea and the Czech Republic at Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico, on Thursday. [AFP]

Regardless of the result on the pitch, the empty seats visible in broadcast footage became a talking point. The Sun reported that in some matches, fewer than half the tickets sold because prices had soared to prohibitive levels, leaving some sections of stadiums vacant.

FIFA announced the official attendance for Thursday's match at 44,985. Akron Stadium's official capacity is 45,664, which would put the number of empty seats at around 700 — yet broadcast images drew criticism for appearing to show far more vacant seats than that figure would suggest.

A fan gestures at Akron Stadium in Zapopan, Guadalajara, Mexico, on June 11, 2026. [AFP]

Around 180,000 tickets were reportedly still listed for sale on FIFA's official resale site just one day before the tournament opened. FIFA had flooded the secondary market with unsold seats, and prices for some matches dropped sharply in the days leading up to the opener.

Tickets for the England-Croatia opener fell to as low as 513 pounds, while seats for the England-Ghana match were listed at 409 pounds on FIFA's official resale platform — roughly 40 percent below their mid-April prices.

Fans who learned that the Korea-Czech match had not sold out vented their frustration on social media. "There are far too many empty seats. FIFA's response to this is deeply disappointing," one fan wrote.

Others were equally blunt. "I've never seen this many empty seats at a World Cup match. This tournament is shaping up to be the worst ever," one user said, while another added, "When you set prices at absurd levels, this is what you get."

The 2026 North America World Cup kicked off in Mexico City on June 11 and runs through July 19, with matches held across cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada. The expansion of the field from 32 to 48 nations increased the total number of matches from 64 to 104.

bbo@heraldcorp.com