Following the match between South Korea and Czech Republic in the 2026 FIFA World Cup group stage, FIFA responded to the attendance controversy by denying any inflation of audience numbers.
Just the second match of this FIFA World Cup produced its first off-field controversy, but the focus was not on the match itself; rather, it was on the issue of crowd attendance figures.
During the match, FIFA announced that the official attendance at Akron Stadium for the game was 44,985. However, television broadcast footage and photos circulating on social media showed many empty seats in the stands, raising questions about FIFA World Cup ticket sales. Some suggested that high ticket prices may have contributed to the stadium not being full.
In response to the controversy, FIFA subsequently issued a statement emphasizing that the official data had not been falsified or tampered with.
FIFA stated: "Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned upon entry and the number of spectators who entered the stadium's security areas, rather than a visual assessment of seat occupancy at any given moment during the match."
According to data provided by FIFA, the stadium's occupancy rate for this match reached 98.5%. Regarding the empty seats seen in the broadcast footage, FIFA explained that many of these seats belonged to fans who had temporarily left their seats and were watching the match from the aisle areas, making them appear empty.