As Bay Area hosts World Cup, empty red seats are everywhere at Levi's Stadium
NPR • • sports
Key Points:
- Thousands of empty seats were visible at Levi's Stadium during the World Cup match between Qatar and Switzerland, particularly on the east side where it tends to get hot.
- The temperature at kickoff was around 82 degrees Fahrenheit (28 degrees Celsius), which is unusually warm for the Bay Area in June.
- FIFA previously attributed empty seats at a World Cup match in Guadalajara to fans watching from concourses, but at Levi's Stadium, smooth entry and no tailgating were noted for the Qatar-Switzerland game.
- Levi's Stadium has a capacity of 68,500 for NFL games, expandable to over 70,000 for soccer matches, with a record attendance of 70,971 during the Copa America two years ago.
- The stadium recently hosted the Super Bowl just four months prior to this World Cup match.