Crazy Copa América Ticket Prices Result In Many Empty Seats

During the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 semifinal match between Canada and Argentina at MetLife ... [+] Stadium on July 09, 2024 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

Argentina and Colombia in particular have brought a sea of colour to stadiums across the United States this summer, but have high ticket prices and plenty of empty seats taken the shine off of this great Copa América 2024 tournament?

Some games have drawn huge crowds but this Copa has been far from sold out. The likes of Argentina and Colombia have filled the stands with national colours and brought a noise and vibrancy to this tournament that has been missing more often than not, with other nations not drawing the crowds that organisers may have anticipated.

For spectators at home this has definitely taken away from the competition. It doesn’t help the CONMEBOL or CONCACAF sides get the respect they deserve in world football either, and it certainly doesn’t suggest that football fever is gripping the U.S. ahead of the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup.

The U.S. is as large as a continent itself, and the distances between host cities are huge. Most of these stadiums are large NFL style arenas too, which are obviously more difficult to fill up. Add to that the fact that the average South American fan would need to spend months or years worth of their salary to follow their national team around the U.S. and you don’t exactly have a recipe for sell-out crowds.

Empty seats behind Jeremy Sarmiento #16 of Ecuador who prepares for a throw in during a game between ... [+] Venezuela and Ecuador at Levi's Stadium on June 22

The ticket market has been pretty crazy too, with prices soaring since the U.S. last hosted the tournament in 2016. Ticket resale markets, both official and unofficial, are common in the U.S. Some of the statistics around resale tickets show the huge price rises; according to TickPick the average purchase price of the 2024 Copa America Group Stage was $187 – a 61% increase from 2016 ($116).

The most expensive group stage ticket could be found for the clash between Argentina and Peru. Of course Lionel Messi and the World Cup winners are an even bigger draw than they were eight years ago. This game had an average purchase price of $478 on the site, which is extortionate when you consider than the average Argentinian would pay just a few dollars to watch an average top division match at home. Even Premier League prices pale in comparison, at face value at least.

The face value of Copa América tickets for the group stage started between $45 and $60. Yet on the official Copa Ticketmaster site tickets for the group game between Brazil and Colombia were still very much available in the days before their clash. However they were available at resale prices of $400 and above, certainly not around the $60 mark.

StubHub resale tickets had buyers from 88 countries but over 90% of those were U.S. buyers. Which shows that ticket prices are more in line with an NBA Finals game than a South American football match. Yes this is the Copa América but the reality is that said prices are simply impossible for many fans to pay, especially on top of flights, accommodation and spending money if they are making the trip from South America.

A fan of Colombia cheers his team prior to the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 semifinal match between ... [+] Uruguay and Colombia at Bank of America Stadium on July 10, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)

Argentina’s group games were the most popular by far on StubHub, which proves the draw that Lionel Messi still has on soccer-crazy fans in the U.S and across the globe. His arrival in the MLS made domestic ticket sales go through the roof too. Just days before the Copa América final which will be played this Sunday evening tickets have been going for well over $1,000 on StubHub.

An audience so varied and a country so big means it is almost impossible to find a ticketing strategy to fit each and every market. Of course the ideal for football fans would be far more affordable tickets and full stadiums, but that hasn’t been the case this summer at the Copa, and for the eyes of the world looking upon this spectacle that doesn’t give off the best impression.

A year before the U.S. will host the new 32 team Club World Cup, and just two years before the FIFA 2026 World Cup, half empty-stadiums and dodgy playing surfaces have raised question marks over the organisers credentials to host the best tournament possible. Given the logistics it’s obvious that travel costs will be a lot for fans but the ticket resale market on top of that doesn’t exactly encourage a lot of potential visitors to plan their dream football voyage.

Even in smaller stadiums or for games of the biggest teams we have seen empty seats at this Copa América, and far too many at that. Something will need to change to ensure that this doesn’t happen in the upcoming football tournaments in the U.S. because both the host nation and all of their visitors deserve packed stands full of fans and colour.

It is difficult to compare the Copa with the European Championships taking place in Germany at the moment, but it is obvious that one has full grounds and the other doesn’t. This gap needs to be closed and it will only benefit the teams and tournaments from the America’s going forward if it does.

(From L) CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani, FIFA President Gianni Infantino, FIFA Chief ... [+] Tournament & Events Officer Colin Smith and FIFA Director of Media Relations Bryan Swanson hold a press conference in New York on June 16, 2022. - Mexico City's iconic Azteca Stadium and the Los Angeles Rams' multi-billion-dollar SoFi Stadium were among 16 venues named on June 16 to stage games at the 2026 World Cup being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. (Photo by Yuki IWAMURA / AFP) (Photo by YUKI IWAMURA/AFP via Getty Images)