FIFA officials view the Club World Cup as a success, notwithstanding the low attendance figures. Chelsea’s initial match in the tournament against Los Angeles FC attracted only 22,137 spectators at the expansive Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
They are also prepared for further low attendance in other group matches, having anticipated reduced crowds in specific games, even after reducing ticket prices to as low as £38 for general admission.
Nevertheless, FIFA has already recorded total attendance exceeding 250,000 for the tournament and fully expects interest to increase in the later rounds, with significant matchups on the horizon.
Real Madrid, Paris Saint Germain, and Manchester City are likely to attract large crowds, along with other prominent European teams and star players such as Jude Bellingham, Harry Kane, and Lionel Messi.
They experienced attendance surpassing 60,000 for Inter Miami’s opening match and over 80,000 at the Rose Bowl for the PSG versus Atletico Madrid game.
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Chelsea’s performance on Monday in Atlanta was disappointing, but it took place at 3 PM local time on a regular working day, and there is still an expectation that daytime matches will be retained for next year’s World Cup.
However, Los Angeles advancing to the next round resulted in a lower turnout, as if the Mexican team Club America had secured that final playoff spot, it was believed they could have filled the Atlanta stadium to capacity multiple times.
There have also been respectable television viewing figures, with Channel 5 reporting peak audiences exceeding 560,000, even during Bayern Munich’s 10-0 victory over Auckland City.
Despite the setback with the Chelsea match, FIFA anticipates that the final and semi-finals at the 82,500-capacity Met Life Stadium will be major attractions.
They continue to regard the Club World Cup as a work in progress, acknowledging that it will require time to gain traction and expand.
However, the prevailing sentiment is that it has thus far been a success rather than a failure, despite the absence of fans and public criticism regarding players being compelled to participate in too many matches.
