Korea's World Cup qualifying match vs. Iran sold out in Seoul
Son Heung-min reacts after scoring a goal in a World Cup qualifying match against Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Thursday. Yonhap
Korea's World Cup qualifying match against Iran was played in front of a sellout crowd in Seoul on Thursday.
Korea hosted Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium before some 64,000 fans, according to the Korea Football Association (KFA). The exact tally was expected later in the day.
It is still the largest crowd in a sporting event in the country during the COVID-19 pandemic. The previous mark was set in a World Cup qualifying match: in November last year, Korea beat the United Arab Emirates before 30,152 fans at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, just northwest of Seoul.
Fans attending a World Cup qualifying match between South Korea and Iran at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Thursday. Yonhap
The match took place during a brief window when the government eased COVID-19 restrictions in an ultimately botched attempt to return to normalcy.
This was the 10th sellout in the history of Seoul World Cup Stadium, which opened in 2001 ahead of the FIFA World Cup that South Korea co-hosted with Japan the following year, and first since March 26, 2019, against Colombia.
The KFA's ticketing website crashed under heavy traffic when ticketing opened on March 16. The KFA said some 62,000 tickets had been sold as of 2 p.m. Thursday, and the remaining 1,000 or so tickets were snatched up at the stadium's box office later in the day.
With vocal cheering still prohibited and mask mandate in place, the KFA played some canned crowed chants throughout the match. At the 20th minute mark, the crowd performed a card stunt, holding up cards that read, "We missed you." (Yonhap)