While more than ​80,000 squeezed into the Azteca stadium to watch the ​opener between co-hosts Mexico and South Africa, the optics ⁠of unoccupied rows at the 46,000-seat stadium in Guadalajara, ​a city with a deep-rooted football culture, have intensified criticism ​of FIFA’s commercial strategy for the first 48-team World Cup.

Some fans at the stadium blamed the high ticket prices for the rows of empty ​seats and criticised FIFA for their pricing model.

Reuters has ​contacted FIFA for comment.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Wednesday defended FIFA’s ticket pricing ‌following ⁠criticism from supporters who argued the cost of attending matches had become prohibitive. He said ticket prices were on a par with other major sporting events.

FIFA has sold more than ​6 million tickets ​for the ⁠tournament and previously highlighted strong interest from across the Americas, with Infantino saying demand had exceeded ​expectations by “a factor of 10 or more”.

However, ​groups such ⁠as Football Supporters Europe (FSE) had warned that “extortionate” pricing would exclude ordinary fans. According to FSE, ticket prices for this tournament have ⁠jumped fivefold ​compared to the 2022 World Cup ​in Qatar.

South Korea beat the Czechs 2-1 in the Group A match.