Nearly half a million empty seats at FIFA Club World Cup

Despite high expectations from the organizers, the FIFA Club World Cup has so far been a big disappointment in terms of attendance.

Images of empty stands have become familiar at this year's FIFA Club World Cup - Photo: REUTERS

The 16 matches in the opening round of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup took place in 9 stadiums, with a total capacity of 979,373 seats. However, only 556,369 people came to the stadium, accounting for 56.8%.

There were 423,004 empty seats at this year's FIFA Club World Cup. This is an alarming number, because this tournament is also considered a "test" for next year's World Cup, with most of the matches held in the US.

The most watched match was the big match between PSG and Atletico Madrid, with 80,619 people coming to the stadium. This is not surprising, because this match is also the highlight of the first round.

Meanwhile, the opening match between Inter Miami and Al Ahly also achieved impressive numbers. The number of spectators attending this match was 60,927, while the capacity of Hard Rock Stadium is over 65,000 seats. This is a match with the appearance of superstar Lionel Messi, contributing to the effect of attracting viewers to the stadium.

However, except for matches featuring big teams or stars, the majority of spectators at the FIFA Club World Cup are currently quite quiet.

Of the first 16 games, half saw attendances below 50% of the stadium’s capacity. The quietest match was the match between South African side Mamelodi Sundowns and South Korean side Ulsan HD. Just 3,412 fans showed up at Inter & Co Stadium in Florida, despite its capacity of 25,500.

Interestingly, most of the matches with large audiences are those with teams from Brazil or Argentina. These are the world 's football powers with a large fan base. In addition, traveling from South America to a North American country like the United States is relatively easy. Therefore, they have an advantage to go to the stadium to watch and cheer for their favorite team.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/gan-nua-trieu-ghe-trong-tai-fifa-club-world-cup-20250620080201942.htm