USMNT Facing Unexpected Problem Ahead of World Cup Opener
The United States is heading into its World Cup opener with an issue few people expected: there are still tens of thousands of tickets left for the match against Paraguay. Despite being one of the headline games of the tournament, demand has reportedly been far lower than FIFA expected, with more than 20,000 seats still unsold.
The biggest reason appears to be the eye-watering ticket prices, which have made the U.S. opener one of the most expensive matches of the entire tournament. While other World Cup games have sold out quickly, many fans seem unwilling to pay premium prices just to watch the USMNT kick off its campaign in Los Angeles.
The pricing of the tickets has been a point of contention amongst fans for a long time now and with the World Cup just a few months away, the reality of shunning away fans with sky high prices is slowly settling in.
A Disaster in the Making?
For a tournament match involving the host nation, the buzz around the United States opener has been surprisingly quiet. The June clash with Paraguay in Los Angeles was supposed to be one of the hottest tickets of the summer, but instead it has become one of the few matches where demand does not seem to match the hype.
A big part of the problem is simple: fans think the prices are outrageous. FIFA put the U.S. opener near the very top of its pricing scale, asking supporters to pay several times more than what fans are paying for many other group-stage games. Instead of creating excitement, it seems to have pushed a lot of people away.
That has left the opener in an awkward spot. While other matches in Los Angeles are selling faster, the U.S. game has been stuck with large amounts of inventory still available. There are signs that some fans are choosing to save their money for later matches instead, especially games in cities where tickets are cheaper and easier to justify.
The resale market is also telling a story. Plenty of fans who already bought seats appear to be trying to get rid of them, with some listings now dropping below the original price. That is not something you normally see for what should be one of the marquee games of the tournament.
There may also be a bigger issue at play here. FIFA may have overestimated how much casual American fans are willing to spend to watch the USMNT, especially in Los Angeles where international fanbases often outnumber local support. Unless prices come down, there is a real chance the tournament opener could have far more empty seats than anyone expected.
Copyright 2026 Athlon Sports. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published April 21, 2026 at 2:01 PM.