England could play their first knockout game of the World Cup in front of thousands of empty seats, with hundreds still unsold for the match against DR Congo.
Thomas Tuchel’s side will take on the African outfit on Wednesday in Atlanta after topping their group – their top spot confirmed after a nervy victory over Panama at the weekend.
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium has a capacity of 67,382, but, according to The Telegraph, 600 seats remain unsold for the game.
That, along with 3,000 available for resale on Fifa’s official website, means there could be plenty of seats spare inside the ground when Harry Kane and Co take to the field.
It’s possible that other tickets are still being sold on unlicensed sites too.
Reports suggest 123 Category 1 tickets, which cost $885 (£668) and 461 Category 2 tickets, costing $770 (£581) are still available.
England face playing their World Cup last 32 game in front of thousands of empty seats
On the resale site, 2,909 are listed, priced between $747.50 (£654) and $138,000 (£104,111).
A number of reasons have been touted for the spare tickets, including that it’s often unclear who will be competing in knockout games until late on.
Official attendance figures across North America have generally been solid throughout the tournament, though there have been empty seats visible at various games.
A Fifa spokesperson said after South Korea’s win over Czechia in the second game of the tournament: ‘Official attendance figures reflect the number of tickets scanned and spectators present within the stadium footprint, rather than visual assessments of seating occupancy at any given moment during the match.
‘Fifa works closely with stadium authorities and ticketing teams to ensure all published figures are based on verified operational data.
‘Please note that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.’
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