{"id":4822,"date":"2026-07-12T20:04:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T20:04:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4822"},"modified":"2026-07-12T20:04:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T20:04:52","slug":"at-world-cup-ticket-prices-even-messi-cant-fill-a-stadium","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=4822","title":{"rendered":"At World Cup ticket prices, even Messi can\u2019t fill a stadium"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Lionel Messi is perhaps the biggest draw in all of sports right now. Playing in what is almost certainly his final World Cup, each game could be the last on the most vaunted of stages for the 39-year-old Argentina captain.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more From critic to steady ally: Lindsey Graham\u2019s changing relationship with Trump<\/a><\/p>\n

But in Argentina\u2019s quarterfinal victory over Switzerland on Saturday at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, which accommodates 69,000 fans, big chunks of seats were empty.<\/span><\/p>\n

While the reason for the vacant seats was not immediately clear, it\u2019s possible that high ticket prices kept some fans away. Seats at this year\u2019s World Cup have been the most expensive in the tournament\u2019s history, costing at least three times more than those at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which to that point had been the costliest ever.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n

On Saturday night, expensive yellow seats in the middle of the second tier at Arrowhead were empty, and higher up in the third tier, many seats were filled by FIFA volunteers distinguishable by their lime green jackets. Ticket prices on resale sites, including FIFA\u2019s own, generally hovered between $1,500 and $4,000.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n
\n
Get Starting Point<\/span><\/div>\n
A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday.<\/span><\/div>\n
\n