World Cup turnout defies concerns, as Americans flock for the spectacle

NEW YORK, June 23 : World Cup attendances are on track for record highs despite daunting ticket prices and Trump administration travel restrictions. Experts say it is less a reflection of America's fondness for soccer, and more a measure of its love of spectacle.

Through 44 matches, total attendance topped 2.85 million, with the average stadium about 99.6 per cent full, according to a Reuters analysis based on FIFA data.

"Americans like big events," said Dan Rascher, a sports economics expert at the University of San Francisco. "They want to be there for the big moments."

While this year's World Cup is bigger than its predecessors - totalling 104 matches, up from 64 - attendance is on pace to break the all-time record well before this year's 64th game. The existing mark of roughly 3.5 million spectators was set in 1994, the last time the U.S. hosted.

"Part of it is that we have these gigantic stadiums," said Victor Matheson, an economist and sports business expert at the College of the Holy Cross.

But stadiums in 2026 are also fuller, on a percentage basis, than nearly any World Cup this century, with the possible exception of Germany's in 2006, according to FIFA annual reports and a Reuters attendance analysis.

HIGH PRICES? NO PROBLEM

It shows Americans don't like missing out on global spectacles, experts say.

Soccer is not as popular in the U.S. as in other recent host nations, like Brazil and Germany, and ticket prices have never been higher.

FIFA for the first time adopted a dynamic pricing model, changing prices based on demand. A last-minute ticket to Thursday's match between Paraguay and Australia, for example, cost $450.

The secondary market has been even steeper. TicketData, which tracks resale prices, reported average