Healthy crowds and Messi mania lift Club World Cup, but quality gap shows
MIAMI, June 16 (Reuters) - The expanded Club World Cup has kicked off with healthy crowds, "Messi mania" and a festival atmosphere in Miami, giving an early vindication to world football body FIFA after fears of empty stands and global disinterest.
FIFA controversially awarded Lionel Messi's Inter Miami a backdoor route into the tournament, ensuring the sport's biggest name would be there after he propelled soccer to new heights in a country often ambivalent to the world's most popular game.
Some 61,000 fans packed the Hard Rock Stadium on Saturday to watch the Argentine and teammates play Egyptian giants Al-Ahly in a goalless draw.
Another strong crowd turned out on Sunday for the clash between Paris St Germain and Atletico Madrid, which ended in a one-sided 4-0 win for the Champions League winners.
However, Bayern Munich's 10-0 demolition of semi-professional Auckland City underscored the worrying gulf in quality between some of the competing clubs.
But the opening weekend largely delivered what FIFA had hoped for: vibrant crowds and global representation.
South American supporters made their presence especially felt.
More than 1,000 Boca Juniors fans in blue and gold turned Miami Beach into a party strip on Sunday ahead of their opening match, singing club anthems and waving flags in scenes reminiscent of a World Cup carnival.
"Wherever you go, Boca is here,' Gaston San Paul, a fan who flew in from Entre Rios in Argentina, told Reuters.
'Wherever we are we do this,' he added, referring to the "Banderazo" (flag party), a fan gathering destined to mark territory ahead of a game.
Boca and Real Madrid games were among the top early ticket sellers, according to FIFA, which said that top markets after the U.S. were Brazil, Argentina and Mexico.
Talk of empty stands was at least provisionally dismissed as well as heightened anxiety in the immigrant-heavy Miami area following recent federal immigration raids.
At the heart of the opening weekend buzz was Messi, whose presence has elevated Inter Miami's profile and guaranteed global glamour for the tournament.
Messi, who received a standing ovation before kickoff, was unable to find the net against Al-Ahly but provided flashes of brilliance in a tightly contested, physical match.
FIFA is banking not only on Messi's star power but also on a radical new broadcast strategy. The tournament is being streamed for free worldwide by DAZN in a $1 billion deal.
That agreement followed Saudi Arabia's SURJ Sports Investment, a subsidiary of the country's Public Investment Fund (PIF), acquiring a minority stake in DAZN for a reported $1 billion — another marker of the kingdom's growing investment footprint in sport.
The partnership, one of the largest broadcast packages in football history, is central to FIFA's push to maximize digital engagement and position the Club World Cup as a global spectacle ahead of the 2026 World Cup in North America.
The $1 billion prize money, which ensures a hefty $125 million for the winners, was an obvious incentive for the European clubs.
"There's a lot of money at stake. If you have the chance to earn a lot of money at a tournament, you should take the chance," former Bayern legend Karl Heinz Rummenigge said in the run-up.
DAZN has yet to provide viewership data.
While the crowds gave FIFA reason to be cheerful, the Bayern Munich v Auckland City match raised awkward questions about the tournament's balance as the German champions obliterated their opponents 10-0.
Despite the lopsided contest in Cincinnati, the overall mood among organizers was one of optimism, calling the opening weekend a resounding success.
Many Floridians, however, did not know a global soccer event was taking place in their state.
"There is a World Cup? Hockey?," said one person working in a restaurant in Miami Beach.
"This tournament is new, and it is different. It is the very first time clubs and players from all over the world have had the chance to face each other in competitive matches on a global stage," FIFA said, referring to the 32-club format after the previous editions featured seven.
With group matches continuing through the week and Boca's opener against Benfica expected to draw another bumper crowd in Miami later on Monday, FIFA will be hoping to build on the early momentum — and avoid more one-sided encounters like the one in Cincinnati as European teams appear to be a level above those from other continents'.
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Times
35 minutes ago
- Times
Liam Delap makes instant impact — in front of 53,000 empty seats
Maybe scheduling a fixture in a new, little-known tournament for 3pm on a Monday was not the best idea. Chelsea kicked off their Club World Cup campaign with a victory over MLS outfit Los Angeles FC, led by an impressive Nicolas Jackson seeking to see off new competition from Liam Delap, although there were not many there to see it at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, in Atlanta, Georgia. An attendance of just 22,137, inside a stadium that can hold up to 75,000, made for uncomfortable viewing for Fifa. Ticket prices had tumbled ahead of kick off, with the cheapest falling to £38 on the day of the game despite being listed for £72 at the turn of the year, with supporters handed some money back as prices fell while others were moved from the cheaper top tier, which was closed, into the more expensive lower tier. But the low attendance was eye-catching, not least as this was in a city that styles itself as the 'epicentre of soccer', and with good reason too. Atlanta United, the MLS side who play here, are one of the best-supported teams in the country, averaging a gate of about 44,000 this season. To the south, roughly a 30-minute drive away, the new $250 million training base of the United States Men's National Team, is being constructed on a 200-acre site, and will open in 2026. Last year a crowd of 38,000 turned up for a friendly between Chelsea and Club America while two years ago, Chelsea visited with Newcastle United and packed out the ground with more than 70,000 supporters. Miguel Almiron was a big pull that day but it seems the Club World Cup has passed many by. It surely must have helped, of course, that those previous games were not held during the middle of a working day. For Chelsea, 19 days had elapsed since they tasted Conference League success in Wroclaw and there was a familiar feeling to the line-up from Enzo Maresca, who opted against handing debuts to the new signings in his group, so Liam Delap, along with Andrey Santos, Dário Essugo, Mamadou Sarr and Mike Penders, all started on the bench. LAFC meanwhile fielded the same side that defeated Club America, meaning Lloris started in goal and Olivier Giroud, formerly of Chelsea, was on the bench. Unsurprisingly, Chelsea controlled much of the first period, enjoying long spells of possession to the backdrop of a small, enthusiastic pocket of LAFC supporters, numbering about 200 or so behind Lloris's goal, whose chants and drum beat echoed around the sparsely-populated arena. There was no issue with temperature here, as the roof was closed, ensuring the players escaped the worst of the 31 degree heat outside, though the game still lacked much in intensity. PAUL ELLIS / AFP Jackson, now under pressure with Delap his new in-house competition, was the standout performer, producing a spin and shot after five minutes that was saved and then creating an excellent chance for Noni Madueke, side-stepping his marker with neat footwork before finding the Chelsea winger, in on goal from an angle, but the shot was saved well by Lloris. Jackson then created the opening goal on 34 minutes, once more evading defender Aaron Long with strong hold- up play near halfway, before setting Neto free down the right. The Chelsea winger entered the box and faked to shoot, sending full back Ryan Hollingshead sliding off to Atlanta's Coca Cola world, before steadying his feet to fire left-footed past Lloris. After a delayed start to the second half, because the substitute Olivier Giroud seemed not to have a shirt, LAFC started brightly, with David Martinez going close twice. For as long as Chelsea lacked a second goal, there was risk. Jackson saw a header blocked on the line but the winger Denis Bouanga, LAFC's talisman, should have equalised when he shrugged off Neto in the box, only to see his low shot saved well by the feet of Robert Sanchez. ROBBIE JAY BARRATT/GETTY IMAGES Delap made his entry on 63 minutes, replacing Jackson and he helped to kill the game. He picked out Enzo Fernandez with a cutback, but his shot was well blocked by Long, but with 12 minutes to play Delap picked the Argentine out again, this time with a lofted cross, and Fernandez made no mistake. That rounded off a promising cameo from Delap, providing a physical presence. LAFC still threatened; Sanchez again denied Bouanga. But Chelsea held firm, and banked £1.5 million with victory. Chelsea (4-2-3-1): R Sanchez 6; R James 6 (M Gusto 46), Tosin 6, L Colwill 6, M Cucurella 6; R Lavia 6 (E Fernandez 46 7), M Caicedo 6 (D Essugo 83); P Neto 7, C Palmer 7 (C Nkunku 83), N Madueke 6 (T George 64); N Jackson 8 (L Delap 64). Booked: R James. Tosin LAFC (4-3-3): (4-3-3): H Lloris 6 — S Palencia 5, A Long 5, E Segura 5, R Hollingshead 5 — I Jesus 5 (F Amaya 81), M Delgado 6, T Tillman 7 — N Ordaz 5 (D Martínez 39, 7), J Ebobisse 6 (O Giroud 46, 6), D Bouanga 7. Booked D Martínez.
The Guardian
38 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Fans stay away as Fernández seals Chelsea win over LAFC at Club World Cup
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