By Asli Pelit
Sports Deals Reporter
Every four years, the FIFA World Cup final transforms the second Sunday of July into the center of the sports world, with the next one to be held in the United States in July 2026.
This Sunday will be a dry run of sorts, on two continents, as the CONMEBOL Copa América tournament concludes with a final between defending champion Argentina and Colombia at Hard Rock Stadium in suburban Miami. That game will follow the UEFA Euro 2024 final at Berlin’s Olympiastadion, where England and Spain will vie for the title of Europe’s best team.
The two tournaments have provided lessons ahead of the 2026 World Cup, jointly hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada. One prominent example: Like the upcoming World Cup, both the Copa America and the Euros played with expanded fields, 16 teams in the former (up from 10) and 32 in the latter (an increase of eight teams).
The ’26 World Cup will have a record 48 teams, up from the traditional field of 32.
More teams meant more surprises and more Cinderellas. In Europe, Turkey, Austria and Slovenia gave stellar performances, testing soccer powerhouses Netherlands, England and France. In the U.S., Copa America drew thousands of fans despite early exits from Mexico and the USMNT, which was upset by Panama in the group stage, and Brazil bowing out ahead of the semifinal. Thanks to Lionel Messi‘s Argentina and the sizable following of Colombia, the hottest team in the Americas, attendance was generally solid.
“The fact that Argentina made it to the final probably added at least a quarter million additional tourists,” Victor Matheson, a professor of economics at the College of the Holy Cross specializing in sports’ economic impact, said in a phone call.
According to StubHub, Argentina and Colombia matches have been the biggest draws throughout the tournament. For the final in Miami, the average ticket price in the secondary market was $1,100. Not including the final, the average price of tickets sold for the entire Copa America tournament on StubHub was $186.
But not all games sold out. The U.S. group opener against Bolivia at the 80,000-capacity AT&T Stadium in Texas drew fewer than 48,000 fans. The hosts also failed to sell out their second game, with 59,145 fans inside the 71,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The match between Ecuador and Jamaica at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas only drew 24,000.
With FIFA potentially proposing $200 tickets for every game in 2026, Matheson foresees the potential for empty seats. “I hope this is the big lesson that FIFA takes from this,” Matheson said. “When you expand the tournament, you don’t get a lot more Argentinas and Brazils; you get more Jamaicas and Canadas.”
As for Euros, except for a handful of matches, teams played in sold-out venues. UEFA sold tickets as low as 30 euros ($32) ahead of the tournament. The final at the Olympiastadion, with a capacity of 71,000, is currently sold out. UEFA offered tickets in the primary market for prices ranging from $325 to $1,100.
Broadcast Breaks Records
Both tournaments broke audience records. The Copa América semifinals, broadcast on FS1, drew an average of 2,067,000 viewers, marking a 267% increase from the 2021 Copa América semis, setting a record for the tournament. Argentina’s 2-0 victory over Canada drew 1,985,000 while Colombia’s clash with Uruguay brought 2,145,000 viewers to the broadcast. Overall, Copa América averaged 1,229,000 viewers across FOX, FS1, and FS2, a 371% increase compared to 2021 (261,000) and a 39% increase compared to 2016 (886,000), when the tourney was last held in the U.S.
“This [Copa América] might have been a Messi tournament rather than an Argentina tournament,” Matheson said.
Despite Messi Mania, European soccer maintained its dominance in broadcast popularity in the States. The Wednesday afternoon match between England and Netherlands drew 2,971,000 viewers, the second most-watched Euro semifinal telecast in U.S. English-language TV history, following closely behind Tuesday’s Spain-France match, which attracted 3,196,000 viewers.
More Teams, More Headaches, More Money
Both tournaments had their share of unfortunate incidents. During game days, the New Jersey State Fair held in the MetLife Stadium parking lot caused significant delays for fans, who were stranded for hours after group stage matches and the semifinal between Argentina and Canada.
In terms of crowd control, a violent faceoff broke out between Uruguayan national team and Colombian fans after the semifinal in Charlotte’s Bank of America stadium. The fight emphasized the importance of security planning for the World Cup, which will take place in 11 other stadiums across the U.S.
Europe had its own issues. During the tournament, fans complained about the German hosts’ public transit networks. England’s opener against Serbia in Gelsenkirchen proved to be a disaster for fans who spent hours packed into the city’s train stations, unable to get to the Veltins-Arena.
While big crowds created problems, they also brought big dollars to host cities. According to a report from the Ifo Institute, the UEFA EURO 2024 is expected to bring Germany an additional €1 billion from foreign visitors.
In the U.S., “You’ve got Tuesday night in Charlotte with 70,000 people packing a stadium, paying top dollar,” Matheson said.
Some 54% of the ticket sales for the match came from outside the Carolinas. The president of Charlotte FC, Joe Labue, speaking to local media ahead of the semifinal, said the city expected thousands of tourists for the big game.
“So, you know, the economics work out pretty well for that,” Matheson said.
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