Fans criticise FIFA after empty seats at Club World Cup: 'Embarrassing look for football'

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The swathes of empty seats during the FIFA Club World Cup match between Chelsea and Los Angeles FC have been criticised by fans, who blamed the governing body for 'screwing up' the tournament. read more
Chelsea defeated LAFC in the Club World Cup in front of a stadium with plenty of empty seats. Image: Reuters
Fans criticized FIFA for 'screwing' up the Club World Cup and manager Enzo Maresca complained of 'strange' atmosphere as Chelsea defeated Los Angeles FC in a near-empty stadium in Atlanta. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta has a capacity of 71,000, but only 22,000 spectators were seen in the stadium as English Premier League club Chelsea defeated the local team 2-0.
Atlanta is over 2,000 miles (3,220 km) away from Los Angeles, where Major League Soccer club LAFC are based.
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'It was a good match, a good performance,' Maresca told reporters. 'I think the environment was a bit strange. The stadium was almost empty. Not full.'
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The Italian manager hopes more fans will turn up when Chelsea take on Brazilian club Flamengo at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Friday.
'We prepared for this game also thinking that the environment was a bit different,' Maresca said.
'But no doubt that the next one will be a nice one because we know that the Brazilian team, they always bring many, many fans. So we will try to be ready for the next one.'
Chelsea are currently in the joint-lead in their group along with Flamengo after the Brazilian side beat Esperance de Tunis 2-0.
Fans slams FIFA after empty seats at Club World Cup
Fans were more brutal in expressing their opinion as they slammed FIFA for prioritising profits over the game.
'Wow, FIFA have really screwed up the Club World Cup - this is the current attendance for the Chelsea vs LAFC game. Yikes, that's a very empty stadium … and an embarrassing look for football in general,' a fan wrote on X.
Wow, FIFA have really screwed up the Club World Cup - this is the current attendance for the Chelsea vs LAFC game.
Yikes, that's a very empty stadium ... and an embarrassing look for football in general.
😳 pic.twitter.com/jLZbFYHBbU — Ninh Ly (@NinhLyUK) June 16, 2025
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Another fan group called the empty seats a 'shambles': 'Plenty of empty seats for tonight's Club World Cup game between Chelsea and LAFC. What a shambles.'
Plenty of empty seats for tonight's Club World Cup game between Chelsea and LAFC.
What a shambles😂 pic.twitter.com/XxYZLBEMDr — Football Away Days (@AwayDays_) June 16, 2025
Concerns regarding the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted across three countries, including the US, were also raised as a fan feared more empty seats would be witnessed during the mega event.
Three days in and Infantino's Club World Cup is a failure of an event. Going to be worse during the World Cup when a 70,000-seater stadium is empty because one (or both) set of fans can't attend a game because they're banned from entering the US. pic.twitter.com/uash6VMLn1 — Karan Tejwani (@karan_tejwani26) June 16, 2025
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'Three days in and Infantino's Club World Cup is a failure of an event. Going to be worse during the World Cup when a 70,000-seater stadium is empty because one (or both) set of fans can't attend a game because they're banned from entering the US,' a user wrote.