World Cup LIVE: Ticket price controversy leaves thousands of seats empty ahead of Canada vs Bosnia clash

World Cup LIVE: Ticket price controversy leaves thousands of seats empty ahead of Canada vs Bosnia clash Group B will get underway today in Canada, while the World Cup remains mired in controversy over a visible lack of attendees due to an ongoing ticket price crisis Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina are set to kick off the World Cup 's Group B matches today as the competition remains mired in controversy, with opening matches left sparsely attended due to an ongoing ticket controversy. The two teams will kick off at 3pm at Toronto Stadium in Toronto, Canada - around 8pm BST - for the second home match of the cup so far after Mexico opened the games on Thursday. While millions of people around the world are expected to tune in, and did so to watch the opening ceremony yesterday, Mexico's Aztecha stadium was noticable empty during the debut matches. Large patches of empty seats could be seen at the stadium in what will have been a humiliating sight for FIFA, which has been under fire for a contentious approach to its ticketing prices. The organisation adopted variable pricing for the first time in World Cup history, which has made the event too expensive for legions of fans as game prices were driven up by an average of 34 percent in October last year. The move meant that the cheapest standard finals tickets were $5,785 (£4,315), with some tickets hitting resale pages for close to $33,000 (£24,621). Earlier this month, prices were reduced in an under-the-radar move across all 104 scheduled matches, and 70 percent of bulk-reserved hotel rooms were released. However, as of the eve of the tournament, around 180,000 tickets were still listed across official FIFA resale platforms. On top of that, a staggering 15,000 group-stage tickets were available directly through its site. Canada, co-hosts of the World Cup this year, will kick off Group B at Toronto Stadium this evening in front of what is expected to be a massive home crowd. They are facing off against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and face massive pressure as, while Jesse Marsch’s team boasts an eight-match unbeaten run, Canada has lost all six of its previous World Cup matches. Both teams will be seeking a victory, however, as they will go on to face Switzerland and Qatar in what are expected to be two tough matches.