Expensive tickets, empty seats and brutal heat: Copa América’s fan problem

TThe official X account of the Copa América posted a message during the opening Group C match between Uruguay and Panama. “Look who’s here,” it reads. Attached were photos of young, glamorous social media influencers posing as they enjoyed the game from the executive boxes.

The message quickly went viral and was viewed more than seven million times. Not by fans expressing their joy, but rather by America coming together to ask, “Who?”

The exchange exposes the fundamental problem with this year’s Copa América, which is being hosted in the US. There’s nothing wrong with social media influencers, and it would be foolish for any organization to discount the potential marketing power they can provide. But the tweet appeared to portray this year’s Copa as an aspirational event for the wealthy rather than a tournament for everyone, whether they are an American soccer fanatic, a South American immigrant to the United States or a traveling fan.

Under Conmebol’s previous hosting system, which was thrown into disarray by Covid-19 and political factors, Ecuador was poised to host the 2024 tournament. Instead, it was moved to the US as a joint venture between Conmebol and Concacaf. US Soccer also receives a sanctions fee, although the US governing body expect to earn less this time than at the 2016 Copa América Centenario, when it played a more active role in organising the tournament.

Attracting fans from the Latin American immigrant communities in the US was never going to be a problem. After the Copa América Centenario, Conmebol assumed it could always bring its flagship tournament back to the US and draw big crowds at NFL stadiums (this ignored the fact that the 2016 edition had its own attendance issues). It would also serve as a build-up to the World Cup, allowing domestic organizers to test venues and build excitement before the U.S. co-hosts the tournament in 2026.

But aside from some exciting action on the pitch, this year’s Copa was largely a failure, with the competition being damaged by poor ticket sales and bare stadiums. The Miami Dolphins’ Hard Rock Stadium, where the influencers were seated, was half full for Uruguay v Panama. Only 29,000 showed up for Venezuela against Ecuador at Levi’s Stadium in California, a 65,500 capacity venue. Even the host nation, playing at the home of the Dallas Cowboys in their tournament opener, could only pack 48,000 fans into an 80,000-capacity stadium.

Argentina’s matches are sold out, although that is in large part due to the influx of people to see Lionel Messi even though he was rested for Saturday’s win over Peru. Even Mexico, normally a sure bet to get full stadiums in the US, played their season opener in a three-quarters full NRG Stadium in Houston (the attendance was better for their next game, in Los Angeles).

It’s easy to get the diehard fan to show up for the team they love. It’s harder to win over potential soccer fans—or fans already shelling out money for Major League Soccer tickets who opted not to take a break for the tournament. That decision also limited the number of MLS stadiums, which are smaller and more easily sold out for games involving less popular teams, that could be used for the tournament.

It makes sense that fans would be harder to attract in the U.S. than in South America, where soccer is king and the tournament has a 108-year history. But to be fair, there have been problems with the Copa in South America this year, too. In the 2019 edition, the most recent tournament not to be affected by Covid-19, even host Brazil failed to sell out stadiums. Less than marquee matchups involving Bolivia, Venezuela, Ecuador and host Japan drew fewer than 10,000 fans

Perhaps some in those football-loving countries had already missed out on winning the tournament five years ago. That certainly applies to many fans in the US this time. Dynamic ticket prices have made the cost of matches exorbitant. Add to that the price of parking at the stadium or paying for an Uber, an unavoidable choice as most venues are not easily accessible by public transport, and the price of getting out the door for this year’s Copa begins for $200. The average price for the tournament’s opening match, Argentina vs. Canada, was over $500, though much of that was likely due to the Messi factor. On the other hand, catching Mexico vs. Venezuela would have cost you $120 for the cheapest ticket, before fees and all the match-day extras like parking and food.

Even those willing to stand up find that watching a Copa América can be disruptive. Colombian fans gathered at NRG Stadium in Houston, but most will have to take a vacation as the game kicks off at 5 p.m. on Monday.

That wasn’t the worst kickoff, though. Moving tickets for Ecuador-Jamaica to 3pm on Wednesday in a 61,000-capacity NFL stadium was always going to take some marketing muscle. But instead of a cheap day out, tickets were hovering above $70 a seat just hours before kickoff. Compare that to this year’s Euros, hosted in Germany, where fans don’t need much encouragement to watch soccer, with tickets available for as little as $32. European federations were able to sell 270,000 tickets for a similar amount, and about A million tickets were sold for $60 or less. Even as the European Championship reaches the knockout stages, prizes are meager compared to Conmebol’s entry fee. An Italy v Switzerland ticket can be purchased on a resale site for $130, a cheaper offer than the average price for the cheapest ticket for Copa América. While UEFA controls the sale of tickets for the Euro, Conmebol has transferred its ticketing activities to individual stadiums and external operators.

On the other hand, the majority of fans were already out of the prize before a ball was kicked. In countries like Mexico, where the average monthly wage hovers around $1,000, much higher than the $400-$500 in Peru or $732 in Bolivia, it would take a serious budget to see one match. Following a team through the entire group stage or tournament would require a huge budget, requiring fans to fly across the US and stay in cities where the cost of living can be astronomically high. If a fan from abroad can spare the money to see one match, why spend it on a group match when there’s a chance he can save it for the knockout rounds?

High ticket prices have an impact that extends beyond the stands. There must be an atmosphere of tournament football. What happens on the field is important, but there should be a carnival around it. Look at Germany this summer and you’ll have seen Dutch fans jumping back and forth in the streets. Or Albanian fans teasing Italians about the sanctity of pasta. Those scenes are invisible in the US. Of course, we’ve seen Argentinian fans take over Times Square and Peruvian fans singing their national anthem in Kansas City. That has produced some great scenes, but so far they are the exception rather than the rule.

Then there were decisions that were downright dangerous. Crossed the entry and price barriers and some fans were greeted by scorching heat. Canada v Peru kicked off at 5pm in an open-air stadium in Kansas City, where daytime temperatures regularly top 90F (32C) in June. Not surprisingly, temperatures were in the 90s and the heat index was over 100F (38C) as the match kicked off.

While the crowd, announced at 15,625, was able to move around the stadium to find shade and water, the players didn’t have the same luxury — Canadian goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau told the Kansas City Star that the players weren’t given a hydration break after the 30th minute, as is customary in the high temperatures. Guatemalan assistant referee Humberto Panjoj collapsed on the field just before halftime, requiring medical attention and leaving on a stretcher. He was treated for dehydration and released from a medical facility Tuesday night. Still, it was a chilling reminder of what poor organization can do.

“It can’t be a five o’clock kick-off,” Canadian defenseman Alistair Johnston told the Star. ‘That’s the simplest… It’s got to be an eight or nine o’clock kick-off. Because honestly, it’s not even safe for the fans.”

Copa fans have also had less opportunity to prepare for the tournament than their European counterparts. While the venues for Euro 2021 were announced, with the full schedule to follow in May 2022, the Copa América venues were not revealed until December of last year. Similarly, the stadiums for Euro 2028 were announced in April 2023, while it remains uncertain which country will host the 2028 Copa América at all.

A lack of coordination and marketing greed have brought down the spectacle. When the winner receives the trophy in a sold-out Hard Rock Stadium on July 14, the organizers will undoubtedly declare the tournament a success. After all, everywhere they have gone, packed stadiums have greeted Argentina and Messi. Mexico fans will always show up for El Tri in the US, and it’s increasingly looking like the same can be said for Colombia.

But Conmebol has settled for good enough rather than great. Given the size of the stadiums and the juicy matches that await this tournament, there will be record numbers in the knockouts – at least in gross totals. The TV ratings will be solid. There will be dollars to be made. But true success would be a tournament that is run so that the next time fans are told, “Look who’s here!” the answer will be “Everybody.”