THE ATHLETIC goes with the header, "Are Copa America’s $200 tickets and empty seats a missed opportunity ahead of the World Cup?" 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. 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 U.S. Never mind the "impact on players or how poor those empty seats look to those watching at home on television." 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." Instead of "captivating audiences with deep runs in the tournament and preparing markets for 2026," the conversation is "squarely focused on the crisis" both the Mexican and U.S. men’s soccer teams now find themselves in.
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