England “could be playing in front of more than 50,000 empty seats for their first warm-up match” ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, according to Tom Morgan of the London TELEGRAPH. Only “13,000 tickets have been sold in total for the fixture against New Zealand next week” at the 69,000-seat Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The cheapest tickets have been priced at $72 — “significantly less than prices at the tournament” which begins on June 11. So far “12,000 tickets have been purchased for the second friendly against Costa Rica” in a 25,000-seater stadium in Orlando. But England fans “appear to be saving their dollars for the main event” which is by far the most expensive World Cup in history. As reported by the Daily Mail and The Times, “only 1,500 official England Supporters Travel Club members” are expected to go to the New Zealand match (London TELEGRAPH, 5/27).
