Qatar 2022 waswithout any doubt the most anticipated moment of the year. The FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event on Earth, so four and a half years after Russia 2018, the demand for tickets was huge.
Therefore, many expected to see crowded stadiums from the very beginning. However, the first round of the group stage had a number of games with empty seats, which obviously took everyone by surprise.
The organizers seem to have taken note of the low attendances in certain fixtures and have consequently taken action, allowing fans without tickets into stadiums to fill in the empty seats.
2022 World Cup games open gates at halftime to increase attendances
Joao Castelo-Branco of ESPN Brasil, showed how stadiums with low attendances open their gates at halftime,letting fans who gather around the stadium get in to watch the second half.
“Stadiums with empty seats are allowing the entry of many fans at halftime between games,” he tweeted. “I sawfans without tickets entering the France game and the next day I recorded it here during the Spain game. A lot of people wait around the stadium knowing that it’s going to happen.”