Thousands of empty seats seen at World Cup match in Santa Clara
NPR • 1 min read • Latest: Jun 13, 2026, 8:18 PM
Last updated Jun 13, 2026
During the World Cup match between Qatar and Switzerland at Levi's Stadium on June 13, many spectators noticed numerous empty red seats. The temperature at kickoff was around 82 degrees Fahrenheit, potentially contributing to the vacancies. FIFA had recently cited a similar issue during a match in Guadalajara, attributing it to fans watching from concourses. Levi's Stadium can accommodate over 70,000 for soccer and recently hosted the Super Bowl four months ago.
- •Match between Qatar and Switzerland underway at Levi's Stadium
- •Thousands of empty seats observed, particularly on the east side
- •Kickoff temperature reached 82 degrees Fahrenheit
- •FIFA attributed similar empty seats to fans in concourses at other venues
- •Stadium held the Super Bowl four months ago
- 9:06 PMNPR — As Bay Area hosts World Cup, empty red seats are everywhere at Levi's Stadium - NPR
- 8:18 PMYahoo Sports — As Bay Area hosts World Cup, empty red seats are everywhere at Levi's Stadium
"There appeared to be thousands of empty seats scattered throughout Levi's Stadium for the World Cup match between Qatar and Switzerland on Saturday. On an unseasonably warm June afternoon by Bay Area standards, with the temperature at kickoff around 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius), many of those vacant seats were on the east side of the stadium that typically can get very hot for much of the year. On Friday, FIFA blamed the empty seats during the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara on fans who watched from the concourses.
"On Friday, FIFA blamed the empty seats during the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara on fans who watched from the concourses. Levi's Stadium staged the Super Bowl only four months ago.
Sources
External links- NPRJun 13, 2026, 9:06 PMAs Bay Area hosts World Cup, empty red seats are everywhere at Levi's Stadium - NPR
On Friday, FIFA blamed the empty seats during the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara on fans who watched from the concourses. Levi's Stadium staged the Super Bowl only four months ago.
- Yahoo SportsJun 13, 2026, 8:18 PMAs Bay Area hosts World Cup, empty red seats are everywhere at Levi's Stadium
There appeared to be thousands of empty seats scattered throughout Levi's Stadium for the World Cup match between Qatar and Switzerland on Saturday. On an unseasonably warm June afternoon by Bay Area standards, with the temperature at kickoff around 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius), many of those vacant seats were on the east side of the stadium that typically can get very hot for much of the year. On Friday, FIFA blamed the empty seats during the World Cup match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in Guadalajara on fans who watched from the concourses.
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