Club World Cup organisers hopeful of a change in fortunes after stuttering start

Daily Maverick

7 hours ago

The first round of the Club World Cup's group matches recently concluded, with the poor attendance of some clashes catching the eye more than the actual soccer.
The previous iteration of the Club World Cup (which featured just seven teams) was seen as an afterthought and a lucrative distraction, rather than a title stacked in prestige.
By spearheading the birth of this new version of the Club World Cup, Fifa president Gianni Infantino is hoping that he can be forever etched in the history books as a soccer revolutionary – not just another sports administrator.
So far, this quest has proven to be a bit bumpy, after an indifferent start to a US-hosted tournament.
Issues such as low attendance for some games, as well as scorching summer heat in the host country, have diluted the impact of the revamped tournament.
While some matches have been able to draw substantial crowds, other clashes have seen substandard attendance. Considering that the US is not a soccer-crazy nation — with the citizens of the country preferring their own sports (such as basketball and baseball) — it is hardly surprising.
Not to mention that even those who do follow soccer in the US will not be acquainted with some of the 32 teams present at the World Cup, save for those who come from Europe.
Empty seats
For example, the best-attended match to date featured two European teams — newly crowned continental champions Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid. In the end, the clash was not as competitive as the 80,000-strong crowd that filled the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles would have expected. The Parisians pummelled Atlético 4-0.
The lowest attendance at a match in the first round of the group was the tie between South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan of South Korea. This contest — which Sundowns won 1-0 — featured just over 3,000 spectators at the Inter & Co Stadium in Florida.
According to Fifa the first round of matches at the World Cup averaged 34,773 spectators per match. This is far from being a horrendous return. But the fact that the venues that have been chosen to host the matches are mostly large in capacity has not helped Fifa's cause.
England's Chelsea, who qualified for the World Cup because of their 2021 European Champions League triumph, beat Los Angeles 2-0 in the pair's opening match. However, well over half of the seats at the 75,000-seater Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta were not occupied. This is something Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca branded as 'strange' for his team.
'The environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full,' Maresca said. 'We are professional, we have to adapt to the situation, to the environment… The behaviour and the attitude of the players is important (in such situations) and once again they showed how professional they are.'
Early days
Maresca's Los Angeles counterpart Steve Cherundolo said that while the poor attendance for most matches in the first round was far from satisfactory, it was too early in the history of the expanded World Cup to sound the death knell on overall interest in the tournament.
'Regarding crowds… It's kind of different each game you look at. So, we should be talking about this right now,' Cherundolo stated. 'We should wait until the end of the tournament… (so that we can have) an opinion about it as a whole, as opposed to a few games.'
The rejigged showpiece — which has moved from being an annual competition to being one that will take place every four years — is taking place with a background of some political tension, both in the US and globally.
Political impact
Since the re-election of president Donald Trump in 2024 the US has adopted a controversial foreign policy. This has been characterised by the deportation of migrants and stricter criteria for awarding visas to visitors.
Supporters from other countries interested in attending the event might have been put off by these two factors in particular.
Nevertheless, Fifa has said about 1.5-million tickets have been sold for the Club World Cup, which also serves as precursor for the national World Cup next year. That one will be hosted by the US, alongside Mexico and Canada.
One major concern for Fifa will be the weather conditions in the US summer, especially before next year's World Cup. A few teams have lamented the heat of the US summer, with some matches kicking off in the afternoon — while temperatures are still high.
'Playing in this heat is impossible,' Atlético's Marcos Llorente lamented. 'The heat is terrible. My toes hurt, even my toenails. It's unbelievable, but since it's the same for everyone there's no point complaining.'
The organisers have mandated water breaks in matches because of the scorching temperatures. However, some matches have also been disrupted by thunder storms.
The organisers of the World Cup are still hopeful that the tide will turn as the tournament progresses, especially in the knockout phase. DM