Despite the organisers’ claim that World Cup games in Qatar are filled to capacity, there are a large number of empty seats. This is especially noticeable at matches that are played in the winter months. The World Cup is the world’s biggest sporting event and has been watched by a large audience. Despite this, FIFA has not confirmed the reason for the empty seats. However, there are several possibilities. These include Qatar 2022 and FIFA’s ticketing app.
Thousands of empty seats were also seen in the Netherlands’ 2-0 win over Senegal. The official attendance for this game was 41,721, but more than a third of the seats were empty. A few seats were also empty during Wales’ 1-1 draw against the USMNT. There were also a number of empty seats at the match between Ecuador and Qatar. This game was played at the Al Thumama Stadium, a 40,000-seater stadium in Doha. This stadium is also where the Asia Cup was held.
It was no surprise to see a large number of empty seats in the first game of the tournament. No host nation has ever lost its first match in a World Cup. However, this was the first time that a host nation has played in a stadium with more than a third of the seats empty. There were also large numbers of empty seats at the other two matches.
At the beginning of the match, there were tens of thousands of fans who had already landed in Doha’s Lusail train station. Those fans had been waiting to get tickets, and many were staying in shipping container accommodation. The majority of these fans did not have time to watch the game, and some began to head home early. This would have been a chance to watch the game in the final 15 minutes. However, the security forces appeared to be tense.
The empty seats were also noticeable during Ecuador’s 2-0 win over Qatar. The stadium was virtually empty by the end of the match, and only Ecuador fans remained behind one goal. Ecuador’s striker Enner Valencia headed the second goal after 35 minutes. This was a disappointing start for Qatar. Despite this, Ecuador kept on the front foot.
After the first game of the tournament, the Al Bayt Stadium was virtually empty. The crowd began to leave the stadium after the half-time break. Despite this, thousands of Qatar fans did not leave the stadium. However, after the final whistle, the majority of Qatar fans began to leave the stadium. This was a sad start for the host nation’s World Cup campaign.
The Al Bayt Stadium had an official capacity of 60,000, but that number does not match the actual capacity. It also does not match the number of empty seats that were seen during the second half of the game. Thousands of empty seats were also seen during England’s 6-2 win over Iran. It was also reported that ticketing app problems prevented some fans from attending the England game.
