England's World Cup warm-up match against New Zealand is at risk of being played in front of 50,000 empty seats, as organisers struggle to sell tickets for the June 6 fixture at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium. The 69,000-seat venue, home to the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers, has sold only 13,000 tickets so far, with just 1,500 official England Supporters Travel Club members expected to attend.
Ticket Sales Struggle Amid High Costs
Despite the cheapest tickets being priced at a relatively reasonable £54, the overall expense of attending the World Cup across North America has deterred many fans. The Football Association (FA) acknowledges that the third-party operator responsible for selling tickets in Florida is facing difficulties, as hoped-for interest from England fans living in the state has not materialised.
In contrast, England's second warm-up match against Costa Rica in Orlando is expected to be near capacity at the 25,500-seat Inter&Co Stadium, thanks to Florida's large Costa Rican population, which accounts for around 16% of the US Costa Rican community.
World Cup Ticket Controversy
Thomas Tuchel's side will begin their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17, followed by matches against Ghana and Panama. FIFA reports that approximately five million of the six million tickets available for the 104 tournament matches have been sold.
However, FIFA is facing an investigation into its ticket pricing and sales practices, particularly regarding 'dynamic pricing'. New York and New Jersey officials are looking into complaints that fans were misled about ticket categories and paid inflated prices. The cheapest tickets for England's opening game against Croatia in Texas were listed at $898 (£628) on FIFA's resale platform in April.
The FA has expressed no surprise at the slow sales in Tampa, citing the financial burden on fans. As the World Cup approaches, the issue of affordability continues to cast a shadow over the tournament.
