Sports
Are Copa America's $200 tickets and empty seats a missed opportunity ahead of the World Cup?
When Argentina returns to MetLife Stadium to face Canada on Tuesday, they will likely do so before a soldout crowd. When they faced Chile in East Rutherford, it was the highest-attended match this Copa America so far.
It’s the norm at major tournaments: wherever the Argentina national team goes, fans follow.
This summer, they have gone from Atlanta to New Jersey to Miami to Houston and now back to New Jersey. The demand to catch Argentina and captain Lionel Messi has meant tickets to watch the world champions have been the most expensive. Yet fans have shown their willingness to pay hundreds of dollars for a single match ticket, if not more.
The average cost per ticket at Copa America is high anyway, however; estimated at more than $200 (£160), per multiple accounts. As we enter the final stages of the tournament, ticket prices are only getting higher.
Argentina fans at Hard Rock Stadium (Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
For organizers CONMEBOL, attendance at this year’s Copa America may be considered a resounding success. Eight days before the tournament, officials boasted how more than one million tickets had already sold for the first 32 games. Alejandro Domínguez, president of South American football’s governing body, said officials were “filled with excitement and enthusiasm”.
Yet there have also been less-than-spectacular crowds at several group-stage matches, with every empty seat in cavernous NFL stadiums representing a missed opportunity to attract a fan who could have been enthralled by the growth of soccer in the United States. Never mind the impact on players or how poor those empty seats look to those watching at home on television.
While Copa America began with a reported sellout of just over 70,000 fans at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta when Argentina were in town, the following five fixtures drew crowds that were tens of thousands of fans below each stadium’s capacity.
It wasn’t until the fifth day of competition, Colombia-Paraguay at NRG Stadium in Houston on June 24, that we saw another full stadium, as the table below shows. (Green indicates matches which were considered sold out, while red was below 66 per cent of capacity — and note that Levi’s Stadium has an expandable capacity.)
CONMEBOL said it consider nine of the 24 group-stage matches as sellouts. Copa America Centenario in 2016 — which also took place in the United States — sold more than 1.5 million tickets and has served as a benchmark for organizers this summers. By the conclusion of the group stage, sales were on track to reach similar figures to 2016, according to Ruben Olavarrieta, CONMEBOL’s commercial manager in charge of ticketing.
Before the tournament, Nery Pumpido, CONMEBOL’s deputy secretary general of soccer, told The Athletic that tickets were “set at a price that I think has been important, because people have come to buy a lot”.
Overpriced tickets were out of the confederation’s control, he continued, because the dynamic ticket pricing that determines those figures is handled by the ticketing partners at each stadium.
“From what has been demonstrated so far,” Pumpido said last month, “the price has been correct.”
Dynamic pricing has the potential to price out fans from some nations competing in the tournament. Not only are tickets costly, but any tourist attending matches would also have to account for hotels and flights in the United States — and also the travel between stadiums if they want to catch multiple matches.
Average net salaries in many of the competing Latin American nations fall below $900 (£700) per month. In Argentina, where inflation is among the highest in the world, the average monthly net salary was estimated at $423.32 last year, per Statista.
In many ways, dynamic ticketing favors American buyers with higher incomes and lower travel costs. The large diasporas of Latino communities across the U.S, coupled with the popularity of some tournament favorites, means Argentina, Brazil and Colombia have drawn the biggest crowds, but not in every market. When Colombia and Costa Rica battled it out in Glendale, Arizona, only 27,386 filled the 63,400-capacity State Farm Stadium.
For the July 4 quarterfinal match at NRG Stadium, where Argentina ousted Ecuador after a painstaking penalty shootout, the cost for a single resale ticket on Ticketmaster started at $176 on match day. Even eight minutes into play, tickets on StubHub were still going for $120.
Panama vs Bolivia in Orlando drew a crowd of 12,933, when the stadium capacity is 25,500 (Leonardo Fernandez/Getty Images)
Tickets for the remaining quarterfinals were still pricey, by soccer’s standards, but lower than Argentina-Ecuador. On Thursday, a single ticket for Venezuela-Canada at AT&T Stadium was $107, $132 for Brazil-Uruguay at Allegiant Stadium, and $70 for Colombia-Panama at State Farm Stadium in Arizona. That is likely due to the low turnout for Colombia in that market during the group stage.
All these prices do not include the service and processing fees, taxes and public transportation or parking that might be needed to get to a match. Parking cost up to $132 for Argentina’s quarterfinal in Houston.
But prices alone are not solely to blame for lackluster crowds at some of the tournament’s group-stage fixtures. Better marketing around matches could have raised the profile of some matches, especially those that included the United States. The team’s tournament opener against Bolivia at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, only drew 47,873 fans to the 80,000-capacity stadium.
GO DEEPER
How Uruguay v Brazil became this Copa America’s dirtiest match
UMSNT’s second match against Panama in Atlanta only featured 59,145 fans in a 71,000-capacity venue. And when the U.S. fell to Uruguay 1-0 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City and exited the competition, only 55,460 fans filled the 76,400-capacity venue, with half of the upper bowl appearing empty on television. Blistering temperatures, and the team’s shocking fall to Panama the match prior, could have also been a deterrent.
Originally, the tournament was set to be played in Ecuador, but almost everyone involved considered the relocation to the United States last year as a win — except those in Latin America who considered it an unpopular decision. For CONCACAF (the confederation for North and Central America and the Caribbean), it gave its member nations a chance to shine on South America’s biggest stage.
It also gave the United States, Mexico and Canada, co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, a chance to capture fans’ interest ahead of the main event. Few South American nations have venues with such large capacities as the U.S, which is filled with massive NFL stadiums at the ready (even if that has brought its own issues with some of the fields), which was a prospective win for CONMEBOL. Would it have been prudent, however, to host games at smaller Major League Soccer stadiums with bigger pitches in more established markets for soccer fans?
While unsold tickets mean missed revenue for the South American federation and other stakeholders, the missed opportunity is more of an issue for those who want to grow the game in North America. Mexico and the United States failing to advance beyond the group stage has been viewed as an utter failure for both nations. Instead of captivating audiences with deep runs in the tournament and preparing markets for 2026, the conversation is squarely focused on the crisis each nation’s men’s soccer team now finds itself in.
While Canada’s run to the semifinals no doubt helps, the CONCACAF nation has played in front of some of the smallest crowds in the tournament, such as the 11,622 fans who braved the heat to watch their 1-0 win against Peru at Children’s Mercy Park in Kansas City. That match, in which an assistant referee collapsed from heat exhaustion due to the high temperatures, was the lowest-attended fixture all summer.
Canada has also had the misfortune of playing against teams with clear home-field advantages in every match.
“With how our fanbase works, and how diverse Canada is, even our home games (in Canada) have been really difficult,” said defender Alistair Johnston.
“And so I think that most of our matches with the national team have always been in these kinds of environments, and I think that has helped us in the long run so that when you do come and play the Argentinas, Peru, Chile, whoever it is, and probably again here against Venezuela as well, we are ready for that because it’s almost become the norm to us.”
Empty seats at the quarterfinal between Colombia and Panama at State Farm Stadium, Arizona (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
The real crown jewel of the competition remains the final game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Its more limited capacity of 65,300 only pushes demand even higher. Tickets for sporting events and other entertainment in Florida as of July 1 are, however, tax-exempt through the end of the month thanks to local law.
As of Friday morning, a single resale ticket in the upper bowl at Hard Rock started at $1,369. That drops to $1,292 each when you buy two tickets together. That number will continue to rise and fall, with those same tickets going for $1,350 each just an hour earlier. The service fee for these tickets (an additional cost) was an estimated $271 each.
It’s why there will likely be several fans sprinkled around the outskirts of the stadiums hosting these last few rounds of Copa America, hoping to catch a glimpse of the madness while watching the match from the comfort of their phones or tablets. Of course, tickets for the remaining matches will continue to fluctuate depending on demand. So, one fan seated in the same section who purchased tickets weeks prior may end up paying hundreds more than a fan who bought a ticket hours before kick-off.
While the forensic accounting over the attendance and ticket sales will continue after the tournament’s final whistle, CONMEBOL has made one thing clear: the U.S. market is one it wants to continue exploring.
“It’s a place to look at, especially as hosts of the World Cup in 2026. That’s important to take into account,” Pumpido said.
“We believe the United States has also made great progress at the soccer level… (and) it has advanced a lot with the arrival of Messi. Of course, CONMEBOL will always have the United States in mind for tournaments in the future.”
GO DEEPER
USMNT had questions before its Copa America exit. Now those get even louder
(Top photo: Empty seats for Costa Rica v Paraguay in Texas; by Buda Mendes via Getty Images)
The Philadelphia Eagles already kicked off Week 11 full of high stakes, outlasting the Washington Commanders on Thursday night to seize control of the NFC East.
Now comes yet another date between the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, a pair that could be considered division rivals if we didn’t know any better. They’re about to play for the eighth time since 2020, with three of those games in the postseason. Perhaps a fourth in their futures.
The Baltimore Ravens and Pittsburgh Steelers shouldn’t take a backseat to any NFL rivalry this week or ever. Once again, the game means something with first place in the AFC North at stake and a pesky three-game Steelers win streak Lamar Jackson and company would love to end.
Three of our NFL writers, Jeff Howe, Zak Keefer and Mike Sando, discuss what’s ahead.
Once again, the Steelers and Ravens are meeting in a high-stakes game. What’s been most impressive about Russell Wilson since assuming the starting role in Pittsburgh? Is the MVP award Lamar Jackson’s to lose at this point or is anyone else seriously challenging him?
Howe: The Steelers have been smart to accentuate Wilson’s strengths, and they’re continuing to lean on the ground game. Wilson has gotten into trouble in recent years when his offenses have been too pass-happy, so credit Arthur Smith for staying disciplined with his approach. Jackson has a sizeable lead in the MVP race, and I don’t see him relinquishing it as long as the Ravens keep winning. Otherwise, Josh Allen and Jared Goff could get back into the discussion.
Keefer: Credit Mike Tomlin, who pulled a winning quarterback off the field in Justin Fields — the Steelers were 4-2 with him starting — and made his team better by replacing him with Wilson. This Steelers team reminds me a bit of the old Seattle Seahawks squads: excellent defense, sound run game, smart quarterback who can occasionally take the top of the defense. Since Week 7, Wilson ranks fifth in EPA per dropback and seventh in passer rating. As good as the rest of this roster is, that’s more than enough. At this point, Jackson is leading the MVP conversation, but plenty will be decided as division titles and playoff seeds shake out. Still, it’s hard to argue with his consistent excellence: in 2024, Jackson has the highest passer rating through 10 weeks (123.2) of the past 25 years.
Sando: I’ve liked how Wilson has fit into the Steelers without any of the fanfare that went along with the Russell Wilson Show late in his Seattle tenure and into his time with the Denver Broncos. We aren’t hearing anything about his mansions or celebrity interactions or any other trappings of stardom.
Jackson is the runaway MVP favorite not just for his league-leading production but also for the context of that production. He’s overcoming especially poor play from the Ravens defense/special teams to win 70 percent of his starts. As detailed in my column Thursday, he is 3-1 in games when other regular starters have a 5-45 record this season (those when the defense/special teams finish with minus-10 combined EPA or worse). It’s remarkable.
Josh Allen and Patrick Mahomes meet once again as well. Bills-Chiefs always gives us a thriller. What or who makes the difference this time around?
Howe: If Allen isn’t the difference maker, I’m not sure we should expect anything to change a couple of months from now in the playoffs. The Chiefs defense has done more than its share to pick up the offense, but this is where Allen needs to assert himself. He has to be the most dominant player in the game. But even with that type of performance, Allen has won three consecutive regular-season matchups with the Chiefs, but he’s 0-3 against them in the playoffs. There’s still work to be done regardless of the outcome this weekend.
Keefer: The Bills are hurting at wide receiver, but the run game — plus Josh Allen’s brilliance — has carried them to 8-2, the second-best record in the conference, behind you-know-who. Buffalo is third in scoring despite Amari Cooper and Keon Coleman missing time, and tight end Dalton Kincaid is out Sunday. But I love how coordinator Joe Brady has leaned on the run game this season. James Cook has been excellent, and Ray Davis has been a spark off the bench. A win for Buffalo on Sunday could pay it back down the line: The Bills’ best chance at (finally) getting past the Chiefs in the playoffs has to come in Orchard Park. And I don’t believe Kansas City, even at 9-0, has the top seed — and home-field advantage — locked up just yet. This team could easily lose a couple down the stretch.
Sando: I’m picking a 23-21 Bills victory on a late field goal, on the thinking that the odds will catch up to Kansas City at some point after so many close games. The Bills have won the last three regular-season games between the teams. They have never lost the turnover battle to the Chiefs in seven meetings between the teams when Allen was in the lineup. If that trend continues, I’ll take Buffalo in a close game.
The Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers take on Sunday night. Where is Jim Harbaugh in your Coach of the Year race? Why do the Bengals keep ending up on the wrong side of close games this year?
Howe: Dan Campbell should be in the lead because the Detroit Lions have been the best team and continue to play in their coach’s likeness. Mike Tomlin might not be far behind. But if the voters defer to the coach who most exceeded expectations, Dan Quinn and Jonathan Gannon will get a lot of recognition. Harbaugh has predictably left his imprint on the Chargers, doing a nice job with their physicality, discipline and quarterback. They are not going to be a welcome sight if they make the playoffs.
Keefer: Harbaugh has quietly done a terrific job, especially after the Chargers rehauled their skill position talent outside of quarterback Justin Herbert in the spring. But I’m with Jeff — no one’s done a better job this season than Dan Campbell, who’s coaching the most complete team in football. Quinn, Tomlin and Gannon also deserve consideration — as does Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota. For the Bengals, this franchise needs to re-evaluate what they’re trying to do on defense. Because that unit has substantially regressed from the team’s run to the Super Bowl after the 2021 season. If Cincinnati wants to help Joe Burrow, start there. Oh, and sign Ja’Marr Chase, too.
What if every one-possession NFL game had the opposite result? pic.twitter.com/wpj5Yk3bNR
— Kelley Ford (@KFordRatings) November 13, 2024
Sando: I’m not certain of this, but research leads me to believe the Bengals have lost so many close games because, in addition to being poor on defense, they overly prioritize passing the ball, optimizing offensive play calling and saving time for their offense, at the expense of controlling games/clock in the late going. That seemed to be the case against Baltimore. It’s something I investigated when looking at how Burrow has performed in the clutch.
The Chicago Bears (vs. Green Bay Packers) and Las Vegas Raiders (at Miami Dolphins) have made changes to their offensive staffs. Expect any real difference or is the problem deeper with these teams?
Howe: The Raiders still don’t have a quarterback, so I don’t anticipate any substantial turnaround there. The Bears just need to get Caleb Williams to play within the offense and not get bogged down by making too many decisions, which has led to slower play, too much time in the pocket and a league high in sacks. A new play caller might provide the boost Williams needs, but the Bears’ issues extend beyond their rookie QB.
Keefer: I’m most curious to see what Thomas Brown does leading the Bears offense. Williams is undeniably talented, and they have weapons, but Chicago’s scheme has been so clunky this season, it feels like the rookie hasn’t had a chance to settle in. For Brown, that’s Job No. 1 — find some easy completions for Williams — much like Kliff Kingsbury does for Jayden Daniels in Washington — and let him tap into his talents when he needs to. The playoffs are an afterthought: The rest of this season in Chicago should be about giving Williams the best chance to improve heading into Year 2. As for the Raiders, they’re in quarterback purgatory. It’s time to take a swing high in the draft and find the next one. Otherwise, the cycle will just keep repeating.
Sando: The problems run much deeper than the coordinators, but the changes could help. The Raiders’ combination of Scott Turner with his father, Norv, provides a clear upgrade in experience and pedigree. In Chicago, it’s clear Shane Waldron wasn’t getting through to players. Perhaps players respond favorably to Brown’s taking control. I don’t know whether the trajectory will be upward beyond an initial bump, however.
Who has been more disappointing this season? The Houston Texans or the Dallas Cowboys?
Howe: I wouldn’t call the Texans a disappointment. They’re dealing with injuries at receiver, and the offensive line is getting exposed. There’s also got to be an adjustment period when a young team is expected to have success, rather than sneaking up on everyone like the Texans did last year. Their opponents are gearing up for the Texans as a measuring stick, and there’s a learning curve that comes with that. The Cowboys, though a regression was predictable, are closer to obtaining the No. 1 pick than the final wild-card spot. They’re up there with the New York Jets among the biggest disappointments in the league.
Keefer: The Texans are such an interesting team this season. Three quarters into Sunday night’s game, they were looking at 7-3 and a signature win over the best team in football, the Lions. Then Detroit staged its comeback. Something in Houston’s not right: the offensive line has been wildly inconsistent, and the passing game is feeling the effects of not having Nico Collins for the last month, plus Stefon Diggs is now out for the year. The good news for Houston: It’s in one of the worst divisions in football, and the AFC South is still eminently winnable, even with a mediocre record. The answer, though, is Dallas: How a 12-win team each of the past three seasons has fallen this far, this fast, is stunning.
Sando: The Cowboys are far more disappointing, except to the millions of professional Cowboys haters out there. Dallas has faltered at just about every turn and is seeded 13th in the NFC and on pace to win five to six games, far short of the Cowboys’ preseason Vegas win total (10), with no hope for making a playoff push now that Dak Prescott is injured. The Texans are leading their division and, at 6-4, are on pace to exceed their 9.5 preseason win total.
(Photo of Lamar Jackson and Cole Holcomb: Justin K. Aller / Getty Images)
Canadian rapper Drake is not afraid to put his money where his mouth is when it comes to placing massive bets on sporting events.
The former heavyweight champion of the world Mike Tyson and YouTuber-turned professional boxer Jake Paul faced off on Friday night. The long-awaited fight garnered considerable interest and attracted a high volume of wagers.
Drake leaves the court following the NBA game between the Toronto Raptors and the LA Clippers at Scotiabank Arena on December 27, 2022 in Toronto, Canada. (Cole Burston/Getty Images)
Drake was confident the 58-year-old Tyson would be able to prevail in the match against the 27-year-old Paul and placed a wager of a few hundred thousand dollars on “Iron Mike.” But, Paul ultimately defeated Tyson in a unanimous decision.
US YouTuber/boxer Jake Paul celebrates winning the heavyweight boxing bout against US retired pro-boxer Mike Tyson (R) at The Pavilion at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, November 15, 2024. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP) (TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP via Getty Images)
JOHNNY MANZIEL WANTS DRAKE ON HIS NEW PODCAST AND PROMISES NOT TO ASK HIM ABOUT KENDRICK LAMAR BEEF
In a social media post, Drake showed his $355,000 bet on Tyson to win, which was made at +285 odds. Given those odds, the five-time Grammy winner would have been in line for a pay out of around $1 million dollars.
Drake was not the only notable person to lose a hefty sum following the fight’s outcome. UFC star Conor McGregor said he put down a total of $1 million on fights that were scheduled for this weekend.
Jake Paul and Mike Tyson embrace after their heavyweight boxing match, Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, in Arlington, Texas. (AP Photo/Julio Cortez)
One of McGregor’s wagers was for Tyson to win against Paul. He also placed a bet on Saturday’s UFC 309 event between Jon “Bones” Jones and Stipe Miocic.
After Friday’s fight, Paul was asked about the possibility of a fight between him and McGregor in the future. “Yeah, he’ll never do that, though,” Paul said, before his manager Nakisa Bidarian jumped in and said, “One, he’s under contract. And two, he won’t do that. He knows better.”
The Tyson-Paul bout was also plagued by buffering issues. The bandwidth problems raised some concerns about Netflix’s ability to provide steady streams for NFL games this Christmas.
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SOCAL REGIONAL PLAYOFFS
SATURDAY’S RESULTS
Semifinals
OPEN DIVISION
Cathedral Catholic d. Redondo Union, 22-25, 25-19, 25-12, 25-16
Mater Dei d. Sierra Canyon, 25-18, 18-25, 25-22, 22-25, 15-13
DIVISION I
Palos Verdes d. Huntington Beach, 25-23, 25-18, 25-23
Santa Margarita d. Oaks Christian, 18-25, 25-27, 26-24, 25-23, 15-11
DIVISION II
Eastlake d. Bakersfield Christian, 25-23, 26-24, 25-9
Bakersfield Centennial d. Windward, 29-27, 25-18, 22-25, 25-13
DIVISION III
Central Valley Christian d. El Dorado, 25-20, 25-10, 22-25, 25-21
Palisades d. Porterville, 25-19, 25-18, 25-23
DIVISION IV
Walnut d. Brawley, 25-18, 25-13, 24-26, 25-21
South Pasadena d. Crossroads, 3-2
DIVISION V
Bell Gardens d. Eagle Rock, 25-20, 26-24, 25-21
Reseda d. Woodlake, 25-10, 25-23, 25-21
TUESDAY’S SCHEDULE
Matches at 6 p.m. unless noted
Finals
OPEN DIVISION
#2 Mater Dei at #1 Cathedral Catholic
DIVISION I
#10 Santa Margarita at #4 Palos Verdes
DIVISION II
#5 Eastlake at #2 Bakersfield Centennial
DIVISION III
#2 Palisades at #1 Central Valley Christian
DIVISION IV
#2 South Pasadena at #1 Walnut
DIVISION V
#5 Bell Gardens at #2 Reseda
Note: Regional Finals in all divisions Tuesday at higher seeds; State Finals in Divisions I & V Nov. 22 at Santiago Canyon College; Finals in Open, II, III & IV Nov. 23 at Santiago Canyon College.
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