Morning Buzz

Around 350 tickets remain in FIFA’s primary inventory and about 2,500 are available on the secondary market for the USMNT’s World Cup opener against Paraguay on Friday, according to TicketData.com.

Keith Pagello, founder of TicketData.com, said the get-in price for U.S.-Paraguay at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium has “held impressively steady” over the past 30 days at around $900 per ticket.

2026 FIFA World Cup Coverage

Explore Sports Business Journal’s World Cup hub, featuring news, analysis, and insights on the business behind the global tournament.

Resale ticket availability -- 0.5% of the 70,240-seat stadium -- is “very much in line” with NHL, NBA and MLB playoff games and NFL regular-season games, Pagello added.

“I would not be surprised if prices come down a bit in the final 24 hours, but I think it will be modest,” Pagello said. “Even if it comes down to say $500, yes, that’s definitely noteworthy, but it’s not some ‘epic disaster.’ I would also not be surprised to see the $900 get-in hold flat or even rise.”

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Canada and the U.S. on Friday will hold their FIFA World Cup opening ceremonies with Toronto and Inglewood, Calif., set to host. The performers in Canada include Alanis Morissette, Alessia Cara, Elyanna, Jessie Reyez, Michael Bublé, Nora Fatehi, Sanjoy, Vegedream, and William Prince. The performers in the U.S. are Katy Perry, Future, Anitta, Lisa, Rema, and Tyla. Dan + Shay will perform the U.S. national anthem, and Purahei Soul will sing the Paraguay national anthem ahead of the USMNT’s opener (USA TODAY, 6/11).

FIFA reported an attendance of 44,985 for Thursday’s World Cup ​match between South Korea and the Czech Republic in ‌at Guadalajara Stadium (Estadio Akron,) but “swathes of empty seats around the stadium renewed concerns over ticket pricing and demand for the expanded tournament.” While more than ​80,000 fans were at Estadio Azteca to watch the ​opener between Mexico and South Africa, the “optics ⁠of unoccupied rows” at the 46,000-seat stadium in Guadalajara, ​a city with a “deep-rooted football culture, have intensified criticism ​of FIFA’s commercial strategy” for the first 48-team World Cup. South Korea beat the Czechs 2-1 in the Group A match (REUTERS, 6/12).

Patches of red seats were “visible” throughout the South Korea-Czech Republic match, “particularly towards the pitchside VIP section at the centre of the east stand.” The affected areas “appeared to be in sections where ticket prices are said to have ranged between $400 for general admission and $5,000 for corporate hospitality.” The attendance figure “indicated almost all available tickets had been sold but potentially to individuals or touts unable to offload them” (London TELEGRAPH, 6/12).

SBJ will be tracking the attendance for all matches throughout the 2026 World Cup. Check out the latest numbers here.

Mexico defeated South Africa 2-0 on Thursday in the opening match of the FIFA World Cup in front of 80,824 fans at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Mexico Fs Julián Quiñones and Raúl Jiménez scored the two goals to secure Mexico its first opening match victory. Mexico coach Javier Aguirre said, “[It was] the start of the World Cup. It’s an intense atmosphere” (L.A. TIMES, 6/11). After an opening ceremony that featured actress Salma Hayek and musician Shakira, supporters “transformed into a wall of noise during Mexico’s national anthem.” They “booed as one when they spotted FIFA President Gianni Infantino" and they “greeted” rock band El Tri (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 6/11).

The security around Estadio Azteca was “strict,” as “large numbers of law enforcement officers held off groups of protesters before the leadoff match.” A one-mile radius around the stadium was “closed to vehicular traffic,” so many people with tickets to the match “walked the final portion, and tickets or credentials needed to be shown” (N.Y. TIMES, 6/11). Armed police “charged rioters after rocks and Molotov cocktails were thrown outside” the match. In “chaotic scenes at the gates,” police “clashed with hooded protesters shortly after kick-off.” The main clash was “prompted by rioters attempting to enter Gate Eight of the stadium.” Dozens of arrests are “understood to have been made,” after about 1,000 protesters “clashed with officers in various areas.” However, before Mexico-South Africa had finished, the Secretariat of Citizen Security said that the situation outside “had calmed” (London TELEGRAPH, 6/11). The fears that “protests would disrupt or delay the opening match evaporated in the face of an enormous security operation around the perimeter of the stadium,” with the various unions and pressure groups “persuaded to focus their main action in the city centre” (London TIMES, 6/11).

The London INDEPENDENT’s Ed Malyon writes soccer fans “needed this.” Malyon: “We needed an end to the gouging and the politicking and the shambles, to the power games and the bad faith actions of those who run the show. What we needed was the show. Thankfully that show has now begun and with the arrival of football the conversations can change a little” (London INDEPENDENT, 6/12).

Fox utilized full-screen commercial breaks for the first two hydration breaks of the 2026 World Cup, and it led to the network missing a small portion of the second half of the opener between Mexico and South Africa on Thursday.

Fox Sports still plans to use a hybrid, picture-in-picture approach for the breaks throughout the tournament, but on Thursday that wasn’t the case. In the first half, the first break “Powered by Powerade” came around the 24:20 mark, and Fox cut to a full-screen break for 2 minutes. There were ads for AT&T, Lowe’s, Michelob Ultra and FanDuel, as well as what appeared to be a 30-second house ad promoting the USMNT’s match against Paraguay on Friday night.

2026 FIFA World Cup Coverage

Explore Sports Business Journal’s World Cup hub, featuring news, analysis, and insights on the business behind the global tournament.

The issue came in the second half with the second hydration break. Though Mexico was leading a one-sided affair 2-0, Fox’s 2-minute break ran long, and when it returned, the match had already started back, albeit only a handful of seconds before.

The Athletic, citing sources, reported that the mishap actually broke a World Cup rule, which reportedly says that the broadcaster must return to the match feed at least 30 seconds before play resumed. Telemundo did not cut to a full commercial for the hydration breaks, as SBJ reported last week, and used on-screen graphic ads during the alloted time period.

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The Seahawks on Thursday unveiled their Super Bowl LX rings during a “private ceremony” with the team releasing a video showing them being “lowered from the ceiling in boxes to where each player was sitting at their table.” The rings were designed and created by luxury jeweler Jason of Beverly Hills “in collaboration with Seahawks leadership.” The team said that the rings are “inspired by the architecture of Lumen Field.” The middle of the ring features “Seahawks blue sapphires, the hawk head logo, and two Lombardi Trophies in the background, representing the franchise’s two championships.” Fifty round white diamonds are “set around the center logo to honor the team’s 50th season.” One side of the ring “features each player’s last name, number and the team’s mantra, ‘M.O.B.’” Once opened, the “inside of the ring features an authentic piece of a football used during the season.” The top of the ring “can be fully removed from the base, allowing it to convert to a pendant that can be worn on a chain.” A “12 Flag” on the side of the ring “acts as a special button.” When pressed, the Lumen Field arches on the top of the ring “pop outward, revealing the words ‘WORLD CHAMPIONS’” (SEATTLE TIMES, 6/11).

Univ. of Minnesota AD Mark Coyle received a contract extension that was approved by the school’s Board of Regents at its June meeting on Thursday. Coyle, who just began his 11th season as Gophers AD, “received a two-year extension through June 30, 2032.” His total compensation will average $2.76M over the next six years. Under Coyle, the Gophers have “excelled on the field and in the classroom.” On the field, the Gophers have won 26 conference championships and 21 individual national championships in Coyle’s tenure (MINNESOTA STAR TRIBUNE, 6/11).

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast, ESPN’s Sean McDonough gets personal about returning to call Red Sox games -- the exact dream he had as a kid.

The Athletics are looking for a Senior Legal Counsel. The Las Vegas-based position is responsible for advising on legal and compliance matters relating to a wide variety of areas while delivering business-oriented legal support on partnership, sponsorship and revenue-generating agreements, ensuring efficient turnaround while balancing risk, deal complexity and organizational priorities (Athletics).

The Sabres are looking for a VP/Business Strategy & Analytics. The Buffalo-based position is responsible for building and scaling business intelligence, analytics, CRM and data strategy capabilities to drive smarter decision-making, revenue growth, fan engagement and operational excellence (Sabres).

The Athletics are looking for an Associate General Counsel. The Las Vegas-based position is responsible for proactively counseling internal clients, negotiating agreements, supporting innovative organizational initiatives and helping identify and manage legal risks (Athletics).

ESPN is looking for a VP/Brand Marketing. The N.Y.-based position is responsible for leading marketing strategy, audience growth and fan engagement across a diverse portfolio of sports marketing properties, brand initiatives, fan experiences and consumer-facing platforms (ESPN).

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“The concept of Westminster Abbey’s Poets’ Corner was born when Edmund Spenser expressly asked to be buried near him.”