Why the official crowd for the World Cup could be bigger than that seen in the stadiums

Images of empty stands in some 2026 World Cup games have raised questions among fans on social media. In certain matches, the occupancy shown by the broadcasts seems incompatible with the official numbers released by FIFA.

One of the most talked about examples occurred in South Korea's victory over the Czech Republic, in Guadalajara, last Thursday. At the time, the entity recorded an attendance of 44,985 people, just 679 below the stadium's capacity, although several empty seats were visible during the match.

The difference was the subject of a report by the North American sports newspaper The Athletic, which approached FIFA to clarify how the entity carries out the official attendance count at World Cup games.

How FIFA calculates attendance
According to the entity, the official number considers people who had their tickets scanned and accessed the perimeter of the stadium.

In practice, this means that the fan becomes part of the count as soon as he enters the arena, regardless of whether he is sitting in his seat at the time of the match.

In this way, people who are in food areas, stores, bars, internal corridors, cabins or hospitality sectors are also counted.

Using this criterion, the public publicity does not necessarily represent the number of spectators occupying the stands when the images are captured by television cameras.

Fans' behavior influences perception
In addition to the methodology adopted by FIFA, another factor helps to explain the difference between official numbers and the visual occupancy of stadiums.

In the United States, Canada and Mexico, host countries for the 2026 World Cup, it is common for fans to circulate around the indoor areas of the arenas during games. In many stadiums, food, entertainment and social spaces are part of the experience offered to the public.

The movement tends to be even more intense in boxes and premium sectors, where fans have access to additional services and exclusive areas.

As a result, certain sectors may appear empty at certain moments during the broadcast, even with thousands of people present inside the sports complex.

Debate also involves ticket sales
Fifa's explanation, however, does not end the discussion about stadium occupancy.

International press reports highlighted difficulties in selling tickets for some group stage matches. On the eve of the start of the tournament, around 180 thousand tickets were still available on official resale channels.

The topic gained repercussion among fans, who linked the lower demand to the prices charged at certain games. In some cases, ticket prices were reduced to stimulate sales.

Thus, the difference between the announced audience and the occupancy observed in the stands can be explained both by the counting method used by FIFA and by the behavior of fans inside the stadiums. This means that official numbers do not always correspond to the perception conveyed by television images.

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Source: CNN