When Argentina returns to MetLife Stadium to take on Canada on Tuesday, they will likely play in front of a sold-out crowd. When they faced Chile in East Rutherford, it was the most-watched match of the Copa America to date.
This is the norm at major events: wherever the Argentina national team goes, the fans follow.
This summer they went from Atlanta to New Jersey to Miami to Houston and now back to New Jersey. The demand to watch Argentina and captain Messi means tickets to watch the world champions are among the most expensive. However, fans have expressed a willingness to pay hundreds of dollars, if not more, for a game ticket.
However, the average cost per ticket for the America’s Cup remains high; estimated at over $200 (£160) per multiple accounts. Ticket prices are only going to get higher as the game enters its final stages.
Argentinian fans at Hard Rock Stadium (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Participation in this year’s Copa America may be considered a huge success for organizers CONMEBOL. Eight days before the start of the tournament, officials boasted that more than 1 million tickets had been sold for the first 32 games. Alejandro Dominguez, president of South America’s football governing body, said officials were “full of excitement and enthusiasm”.
However, in several of the group games, attendance numbers were also less impressive, with every empty seat in a cavernous NFL stadium representing a missed opportunity to attract fans who might otherwise be attracted to what’s going on in American Soccer. Never mind what it does to the players, never mind how bad those empty spots are for those watching on TV at home.
Argentina reportedly opened the Copa America in front of just over 70,000 spectators at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but the following five games attracted tens of thousands fewer spectators than each stadium’s capacity. .
We didn’t see another full stadium until day five of the Colombia vs. Paraguay match at NRG Stadium in Houston on June 24, as shown in the table below. (Green indicates games that are considered sold out, while red indicates less than 66% capacity, please note that Levi’s Stadium capacity is expandable.)
CONMEBOL said they believed nine of the 24 group stage games were sellouts. The 2016 Copa America Centenario (also held in the United States) sold more than 1.5 million tickets, becoming a benchmark for organizers this summer. Ruben Olavarrieta, CONMEBOL’s commercial manager in charge of ticketing, said sales are expected to reach similar figures to 2016 by the end of the group stage.
Before the game, Nery Pumpido, deputy secretary-general of football of CONMEBOL, said Competitor Tickets “set a price that I think is important because people come and buy a lot of things.”
He went on to say that overpriced tickets are outside the federation’s control, as the dynamic ticket pricing that determines those numbers is handled by each stadium’s ticketing partners.
“As things stand,” Pompidou said last month, “the price is right.”
Dynamic pricing has the potential to overprice fans in some countries participating in the tournament. Not only are tickets expensive, but any visitors to the games must also consider hotel and flight costs in the United States, as well as travel between stadiums if they want to attend multiple games.
The average net salary in many Latin American competing countries is less than $900 (£700) per month. Argentina has one of the highest inflation rates in the world, with Statista estimating the average monthly net wage at $423.32 last year.
In many ways, dynamic ticketing benefits U.S. buyers with higher incomes and lower travel costs. Large Latino communities across the United States, combined with the popularity of some tournament favorites, mean Argentina, Brazil and Colombia attract the largest audiences, but that’s not true in every market. When Colombia and Costa Rica faced off in Glendale, Arizona, only 27,386 were seated at State Farm Stadium, which has a capacity of 63,400.
On the day of Argentina’s hard-fought penalty shootout victory over Ecuador in the quarterfinals at NRG Stadium on July 4, a single resale ticket on Ticketmaster was priced at $176. Even 8 minutes into the game, the ticket price on StubHub is still $120.
Panama’s game against Bolivia in Orlando attracted 12,933 spectators against a stadium capacity of 25,500 (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)
Tickets for the remaining quarter-finals are still expensive by football standards, but less than those for Argentina versus Ecuador. A single ticket for Thursday’s Venezuela-Canada game at AT&T Stadium will cost $107, Brazil-Uruguay at Allegiant Stadium will cost $132 and Colombia-Panama at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. Single tickets are $70. This may be due to Colombia’s lower turnout in that market during the group stages.
All these prices do not include service and handling fees, taxes and public transportation or parking fees that may be required to attend the game. Parking for Argentina’s quarterfinal game in Houston was as high as $132.
But the reason for sluggish attendances in the group stages of some tournaments is not just price. Better marketing around competitions could increase the visibility of certain competitions, especially those including the United States. The team’s opener against Bolivia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, attracted only 47,873 fans at the 80,000-capacity stadium.
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UMSNT’s second game against Panama in Atlanta had just 59,145 fans at the 71,000-capacity venue. When the U.S. lost 1-0 to Uruguay at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City and bowed out of the tournament, there were only 55,460 fans in the 76,400-capacity venue and televisions showed half the upper bowl area empty. Scorching temperatures, as well as the team’s shocking loss to Panama before the tournament, could also be hindrances.
Initially, the tournament was scheduled to be held in Ecuador, but last year’s move to the United States was considered a victory by nearly everyone involved – except those in Latin America who saw it as an unpopular decision. For the Confederation of North and Central America and the Caribbean (CONCACAF), it offers its members the opportunity to shine on South America’s biggest stage.
It also provides an opportunity for 2026 World Cup co-hosts the United States, Mexico and Canada to drum up fan interest ahead of the main event. Few South American countries have as high-capacity venues as the United States, which is filled with large NFL stadiums that are ready to go (even if that causes problems for some venues), which is a potential game for CONMEBOL. victory. However, is it prudent to host games in smaller MLS stadiums while having larger stadiums in more established fan markets?
While unsold tickets mean lost revenue for South American federations and other stakeholders, missed opportunities are more of an issue for those who want to grow the sport in North America. The failure of Mexico and the United States to advance to the group stage was seen as a complete failure for both countries. Rather than attracting viewers with deep performances in the tournament and preparing for the 2026 market, the conversation is focused squarely on the crisis that every national men’s soccer team finds itself in right now.
While Canada’s run to the semifinals undoubtedly helped, the CONCACAF nation had one of the smallest crowds of the tournament, with 11,622 fans braving the sweltering heat to watch Canada at Children’s Mercy Park1 -0 against Peru. The game was one of the least attended all summer and an assistant referee collapsed from heatstroke due to the heat.
Canada has also had the misfortune of playing against teams with significant home-field advantage in every game.
“Even playing our home games (in Canada) is very difficult given the way our fan base operates and the diversity of Canada,” defender Alistair Johnston said.
“So I think most of our games against national teams are played in this environment and I think it helps us in the long run, so when you come and play Argentina, Peru, Chile, Whoever does that, maybe against Venezuela we were ready for it as well because it’s almost become the norm for us.
Colombia and Panama play to a packed house in their quarterfinal match at State Farm Stadium in Arizona (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The real crown jewel of the tournament remains the final game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Its more limited capacity of 65,300 will only drive demand further. However, according to local law, starting July 1, tickets to Florida sporting events and other entertainment events are tax-deductible through the end of the month.
As of Friday morning, single resale tickets in the Upper Bowl at Hard Rock started at $1,369. When you purchase two tickets at the same time, the price drops to $1,292 per ticket. The numbers will continue to rise and fall, with the same tickets selling for $1,350 each an hour ago. The service fee (additional fee) for these tickets is estimated at $271 each.
That’s why stadiums for the final rounds of the America’s Cup may have a few fans dotted around the perimeter, hoping to catch a glimpse of the madness while watching the action from the comfort of their phones or tablets. Of course, tickets for remaining games will continue to fluctuate based on demand. So a fan who bought a ticket weeks ago sitting in the same section may pay hundreds of dollars more than a fan who bought a ticket hours before kickoff.
While the forensic accounting of attendances and ticket sales will continue after the final whistle, CONMEBOL has made one thing clear: the U.S. market is one it wants to continue to explore.
“It’s a place to watch, especially as the host of the 2026 World Cup. It’s important to take that into consideration,” Pumpido said.
“We believe that the United States has also made great progress at the level of football… (and) with the arrival of Messi, the United States has also made great progress. Of course, CONMEBOL will always consider the United States in future competitions.
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(Above: Empty seats at Texas-Costa Rica vs. Paraguay; photo by Buda Mendes via Getty Images)
