{"id":4694,"date":"2025-06-22T07:50:15","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T07:50:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/4694\/"},"modified":"2025-06-22T07:50:15","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T07:50:15","slug":"club-world-cup-crowd-sizes-wildly-fluctuate-even-for-messi-chelsea-mls","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/4694\/","title":{"rendered":"Club World Cup: Crowd sizes wildly fluctuate, even for Messi, Chelsea, MLS"},"content":{"rendered":"

MIAMI (AP) \u2014 As kickoff approached it was clear \u2014 the fans weren\u2019t coming. The Club World Cup<\/a>, soccer\u2019s shiny, new competition, has been billed as the event to breathe new life into the world\u2019s most popular sport.<\/p>\n

It began a week ago in the United States, where sports stadiums of monumental capacity and steep tickets prices awaited the rowdy crowds seen at grounds across the world.<\/p>\n

But rows and rows of empty seats inside Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida, on Tuesday told another story.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Many<\/p>\n

Many seats are empty as teams warm up before the Club World Cup group F soccer match between Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns in Orlando, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo\/John Raoux)<\/p>\n

Many seats are empty as teams warm up before the Club World Cup group F soccer match between Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns in Orlando, Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (AP Photo\/John Raoux)<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s like playing football during lockdown,\u201d observed one fan on social media.<\/p>\n

For days, world governing body FIFA didn\u2019t register the attendance for the game between Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan<\/a> on its official website. It took until Friday for a figure of 3,412 to be acknowledged on the site, but by rough count, there were less than 1,000 fans in the stands as the game got underway.<\/p>\n

At the other end of the spectrum, more than 80,000 watched Champions League winner Paris Saint-Germain vs. Atletico Madrid at the massive Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Paris<\/p>\n

Paris Saint-Germain\u2019s Vitinha celebrates scoring his side\u2019s second goal during the Club World Cup group B soccer match between PSG and Atletico Madrid in Pasadena, Calif., Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jae Hong)<\/p>\n

Paris Saint-Germain\u2019s Vitinha celebrates scoring his side\u2019s second goal during the Club World Cup group B soccer match between PSG and Atletico Madrid in Pasadena, Calif., Sunday, June 15, 2025. (AP Photo\/Jae Hong)<\/p>\n

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The opening week for the monthlong tournament across the U.S. has seen some wildly fluctuating attendances.<\/p>\n

Orlando attendance is uncomfortably low<\/p>\n

The Mamelodi Sundowns-Ulsan game stands out as the low point so far for FIFA and its president, Gianni Infantino, who is banking on the Club World Cup becoming one of the most popular and valuable competitions in sport.<\/p>\n

So sparse was the crowd that the word \u201cORLANDO\u201d \u2014 spelled out in yellow seats on one of the main stands at Inter&Co Stadium \u2014 was almost completely unobstructed. Crowd control stewards stood by the sidelines and monitored vast areas of empty spaces in the 25,500-capacity venue.<\/p>\n

The home of MLS team Orlando City \u2014 among the smallest stadiums chosen to host games for the tournament \u2014 was still massively oversized for the match, even with ticket prices falling to $23.<\/p>\n

A group game between largely unheralded teams from South Africa and South Korea was never likely to be a big seller. And storms, which forced kickoff to be delayed by more than an hour, may have led to no-shows.<\/p>\n

Still, it was an uncomfortably low turnout and one of three games in the opening week that drew less than 10,000 fans.<\/p>\n

Not even Chelsea, Messi, MLS can pack Atlanta<\/p>\n

There were also swathes of empty seats for Chelsea\u2019s game against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta. It was an afternoon kickoff on a weekday, but one of the Premier League\u2019s most popular teams vs. an opponent from MLS couldn\u2019t manage to fill a third of the 71,000-capacity stadium, with 22,000 fans showing up.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Fans<\/p>\n

Fans wait for the start of the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Chelsea and Los Angeles FC, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

Fans wait for the start of the Club World Cup Group D soccer match between Chelsea and Los Angeles FC, Monday, June 16, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo\/Mike Stewart)<\/p>\n

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\u201cI think the environment was a bit strange. You know, the stadium was almost empty,\u201d Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca said, and even with Lionel Messi in town for the second game in Atlanta \u2014 Inter Miami\u2019s win against Porto \u2014 the crowd was far from capacity at 31,783.<\/p>\n

Club World Cup ticket prices<\/p>\n

Uncertainty over ticket sales had been a point of debate in the build up to the tournament, with prices falling dramatically before the opening game between Miami and Al Ahly last Saturday. An impressive crowd of nearly 61,000 watched that game at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, though it is not known how many paid anywhere near the $349 that tickets were being quoted at in December.<\/p>\n

As of Tuesday, FIFA said 1.5 million tickets had been sold and more than 340,000 fans had attended the first eight games.<\/p>\n

Infantino proudly proclaimed the Club World Cup was growing into \u201cthe undisputed pinnacle of global club football.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kane calls Hard Rock Stadium a \u2018hostile\u2019 scene<\/p>\n

Numbers in Miami have been good \u2014 nothing lower than 55,000 and topping out at a near-capacity 63,587 for Bayern Munich vs. Boca Juniors. Bayern forward Harry Kane described the atmosphere inside a stadium dominated by Boca fans as \u201chostile.\u201d<\/p>\n

Crowds have still come to Miami in a week when the Florida Panthers were playing in the Stanley Cup Final. Boca and Real Madrid fans queued up for hours in sweltering heat after arriving early for games.<\/p>\n

Largest cup crowd was at the Rose Bowl<\/p>\n

The biggest crowd of the opening week was 80,619 for PSG vs. Atletico Madrid in LA.<\/p>\n

For context, that is just short of the 84,163 who watched the English FA Cup final at Wembley Stadium and well above the 64,327 attendance for the Champions League final \u2014 European club soccer\u2019s biggest game.<\/p>\n

World Cup, Champions League comparisons<\/p>\n

While there was not a sellout game in the opening week, 10 of the first 24 matches have seen crowds in excess of 40,000, for an average of around 36,000.<\/p>\n

The average for the Champions League last season was just under 46,000, according to soccer data website Transfermarkt, but like-for-like comparisons are difficult, given this is a totally new format bringing club teams from around the world to the U.S.<\/p>\n

At the 2022 men\u2019s World Cup in Qatar there was an average attendance of just under 50,000 per game for the opening week. Of the 20 games played over that period, the highest attendance was 88,103 and all but two of those games had crowds in excess of 40,000.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to the World Cup<\/p>\n

Focus on the Club World Cup has been intense for more than one reason.<\/p>\n

There is still uncertainty over how much of an appetite there is among fans for another elite soccer tournament and it was unknown how many would be prepared to follow their team to the U.S. According to FIFA, the biggest take up of tickets from abroad was from Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.<\/p>\n

Perhaps more significant is what this tournament says about the men\u2019s World Cup, which is largely being staged in the U.S. next year. The Club World Cup could be seen as a gauge of how America\u2019s interest in soccer has grown since last hosting the planet\u2019s biggest sporting event in 1994.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Boja<\/p>\n

Boja Juniors fans cheer prior to the Club World Cup Group C soccer match between Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors in Miami Gardens, Fla., Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

Boja Juniors fans cheer prior to the Club World Cup Group C soccer match between Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors in Miami Gardens, Fla., Friday, June 20, 2025. (AP Photo\/Rebecca Blackwell)<\/p>\n

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In that sense, it\u2019s not just about statistics, but optics as well. Which is why FIFA will hope to avoid a repeat of the scenes at Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Ulsan.<\/p>\n

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AP freelance writers Jackson Castellano in Orlando, Florida, and Allyn Tucker in Atlanta contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

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James Robson is at https:\/\/twitter.com\/jamesalanrobson<\/a><\/p>\n

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AP soccer: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/soccer<\/a><\/p>\n