Will this happen in the 2026 World Cup?
The United States were able to win their first match of the 2024 Copa América after a dominant 2-0 victory against Bolivia on Saturday. Christian Pulisic scored an incredible goal from outside the box to open the scoring.
…though, not too many fans were there to witness it, so to speak.
USMNT open Copa América participation with low attendance at AT&T Stadium
So much for the first Copa América game in eight years.
It was confirmed that 47,873 fans were present in Arlington, Texas’ AT&T Stadium to witness the USMNT’s first Copa América game since 2016, with the total fans being only over half of the stadium’s 80,000 fan capacity.
This number is 6,000 less than Mexico’s attendance in their opener against Jamaica on Saturday, with El Tri coming into the match with years of underwhelming performances and back-to-back losses as opposed to the USMNT’s recent Nations League and Gold Cup dominance.
The American crowd in Texas was also significantly less than Germany’s Euro 2024 opener against Scotland earlier this month, with the Germans winning their inaugural match in front of a jam-packed Allianz Arena with over 75,000 fans.
The relatively low attendance for the USMNT’s match against Bolivia, however, turned out predictable after fans on social media disapproved ticket prices and their availability in the days and weeks leading up to the game. If you wanted to see the stars of the United States from a fair distance, a few hundred dollars (plus all the fees and taxes) would've done the job.
When people lament how Americans don’t turn up for major soccer tournaments, this is why: ticketing. Tomorrow’s @USMNT vs Bolivia match should be a sell out, but the lower levels instead will be noticeable empty on camera. pic.twitter.com/ILbUR1lXkG
— soccherfan on BSKY (@soccherfan) June 22, 2024
Match tickets for the USMNT’s upcoming group stage match against Panama in Atlanta are also being criticized for their high price, with lower level seats starting at over $300.
