England faces the possibility of playing in front of thousands of empty seats during their first knockout stage match of the World Cup against DR Congo in Atlanta on Wednesday. Despite England topping their group, confirmed after a recent victory over Panama, hundreds of tickets are still unsold for the fixture.
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 67,382, still has approximately 600 unsold seats. In addition, around 3,000 tickets are available for resale on FIFA's official website, suggesting a significant number of vacant seats when the match kicks off.
Reports indicate that 123 Category 1 tickets, priced at $885 (£668), and 461 Category 2 tickets, costing $770 (£581), remain available for purchase. On the resale market, 2,909 tickets are listed, with prices ranging from $747.50 (£654) to as high as $138,000 (£104,111).
Several factors may contribute to the availability of tickets. It is often unclear who will advance to the knockout stages until the final group matches are played, potentially impacting demand for later-round tickets. Unlicensed ticket resale sites may also have additional tickets available.
While attendance figures for matches across North America have generally been strong throughout the tournament, empty seats have been observed at various games. A FIFA spokesperson previously stated that official attendance figures reflect scanned tickets and spectators within the stadium, not necessarily visual assessments of seating occupancy during the match. FIFA collaborates with stadium authorities and ticketing teams to ensure published figures are based on verified operational data.