As the group stages at the World Cup set record attendances, many expected the knockout rounds to maintain that momentum. But surprisingly, footage from the France-Morocco quarterfinal clash painted a different picture, leading many to wonder what caused the change.

The two teams met at Boston Stadium, which has a capacity of 64,146. But the aerial footage of the stadium showed plenty of empty seats throughout the stadium. Surprisingly, Boston Stadium drew near-capacity crowds for its five group-stage matches. France played Norway on June 26 in front of a sellout crowd as well.

Thursday’s empty seat saga comes in the aftermath of lowered ticket prices in the secondary markets for the quarterfinal.

Following the elimination of co-host USA and Portugal, ticket prices were predicted to drop. The USMNT’s exit, especially, was a significant disappointment for American fans, and could have reduced local interest in attending the France-Morocco game even at discounted prices.

Ticket prices for France vs. Morocco quarterfinal dropped 26% since the Round of 16 concluded. The other three quarterfinals have seen steeper drops. Spain vs. Belgium, set for tomorrow night at Los Angeles Stadium, is down 62%. TickPick has France-Morocco as the cheapest of the four on secondary markets, with tickets starting at $989.

According to FIFA, stadiums have operated at 99.7% occupancy throughout the tournament, with more than 6.25 million fans attending matches through the end of the Round of 16. The 2026 World Cup has also crushed the long-standing cumulative attendance record of the 1994 World Cup. The 48-team expanded tournament was credited with bringing fans from all over the world across three host nations.

The standard, pre-set fixture schedule of the group stage allowed for better advance travel and accommodation planning, contributing to the numbers. The knockouts, on the other hand, are quite random, making planned travel nearly impossible as fans scramble to find last-minute flights and lodging.

However, a similar scenario occurred earlier at the tournament during the South Korea-Czechia clash. With plenty of empty seats on show during the game at the 45,664-capacity Guadalajara Stadium, questions were fired at FIFA. However, FIFA later confirmed the official attendance was 44,985 and said, in a statement, that ticketed fans had been standing in the concourses rather than in their seats

“Please note that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match.”

As the first taste of quarterfinal action comes to an end, the old question resurfaces. A similar statement or a packed crowd during the other games would surely quash those doubts.