Latest news with #FIFACup
Yahoo
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
WATCH: Michael Buffer delivers iconic 'Let's get ready to rumble?!' call before Chelsea vs Fluminense at 2025 Club World Cup semifinal
Fluminense FC v Chelsea FC: Semi Final - FIFA Club World Cup 2025 WHAT HAPPENED FIFA brought in Michael Buffer, the world-famous boxing and wrestling announcer, to introduce the teams and players before the Chelsea vs. Fluminense Club World Cup semifinal at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The 80-year-old announcer, known for his distinctive voice and presentation style, was part of FIFA's effort to add spectacle to the tournament's final stages after concerns about attendance and atmosphere at earlier matches. WATCH THE CLIP THE BIGGER PICTURE By adding entertainment elements like Buffer's announcements, the organization hopes to create more buzz around the competition's climactic stages. Buffer's existing relationship with DAZN, FIFA's global broadcasting partner for the tournament, facilitated this crossover. Advertisement WHAT'S NEXT? Buffer is expected to continue his announcing duties for the second semifinal between Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, as well as Sunday's final at MetLife Stadium.
New York Times
02-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
FIFA's Club World Cup prices get slashed for quarter-finals competition
Prices for FIFA's Club World Cup have been slashed for the quarter-finals of the competition, with some tickets as low as $11.15 (8.17) available as standard admission entry. According to Ticketmaster, FIFA's official ticket-selling portal for the competition, tickets for the quarter-final between Brazilian team Fluminense and Saudi side Al-Hilal were available on Wednesday for $11.15 at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, while tickets for Chelsea's clash against Palmeiras could be bought for $22.30. This is cheaper than had been showing for any group stage game before the start of the competition. Advertisement The heavyweight clash between Bayern Munich and European champions Paris Saint-Germain came in higher at $44.60 at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta but still a substantial reduction of FIFA's original pricing for the tournament. FIFA have applied a dynamic pricing model for Club World Cup tickets, which has sometimes worked in the interests of the consumer during this tournament as prices have tumbled down from FIFA's original expectations following their initial release in December, although some fans may have bought tickets at higher prices only for them now to be available at a much lower rate. Tickets in the lower bowl of the stadiums for the quarter-final were priced at nearly $500 in January, according to a now deleted post on Bayern Munich's website, but lower bowl tickets were available at $22 in the Chelsea-Palmeiras game and $27.90 in the Fluminense-Al Hilal match-up as of Thursday. The demand appears higher at the Bayern game against PSG, where the lower bowl is commanding over $140 in the resale market but in the upper rings standard admission tickets can now be bought for $44, which is substantially below the original pricing. The Spanish giants Real Madrid have been the most popular team in the tournament, commanding over 60,000 in attendances at all four of their games, and their game against German team Borussia Dortmund at MetLife Stadium on Saturday is proving more resilient in demand and pricing. The cheapest standard admission seats remain $128 in the upper ring, while the lower bowl prices are showing at over $300 via verified resale. FIFA have publicly lauded the expanded Club World Cup and claim that over two million supporters have attended matches over the 56 games of the competition so far. This represents an average of over 35,000 fans per game but many games have seen tens of thousands of empty seats as FIFA plumped for NFL venues for many of the matches. The round of 16 phase attracted an average of 42,750 fans, as attendances dramatically varied. Less than 26,000 attended games between Chelsea v Benfica and Inter v Monterrey but over 60,000 turned out for games such as Real Madrid v Juventus, PSG v Inter Miami and Bayern Munich v Flamengo. FIFA have been donating some for veterans and community soccer groups within cities over the past fortnight. Advertisement FIFA's hope had been that demand for the tournament would increase as it goes on but the lower pricing for the quarter-finals may be owed partly to the small runway between the rounds in which to market to fans, while the cost for loyal club fans to traverse U.S. cities is also burdensome. FIFA have been approached for comment. FIFA had concerns before the tournament that attendances may fall below the organization's expectations. The Athletic has previously reported how the organization has committed substantially more than $50m in marketing the competition, including a vast spend on social media promotion and influencers. Their attempts to fill Hard Rock Stadium for the Club World Cup opening match between Inter Miami and Egyptian team Al-Ahly involved offering students at an affiliated local college (with a network of 100,000 students) a single ticket for $20 — but with the promise of up to four complimentary tickets. The cheapest entry for Inter Miami's game against Al-Ahly dropped to $55 the week before the tournament — half of what they were available for in May. Tickets were $230 for the cheapest seat in January and $349 after the draw in December. Despite this, FIFA are holding the cheapest standard admission prices at $978 for the second of the semi-finals of the Club World Cup on Wednesday. Both semi-finals will take place at MetLife Stadium but the second game will see the winner of Real Madrid's game against Dortmund take on the winner of PSG's match against Bayern. Verified resale tickets are available for $426. Standard admission for the first semi-final, between the winners of Chelsea against Palmeiras and Al-Hilal against Fluminense, has standard admission pricing of $473.90. The cheapest standard admission ticket remaining for the final on July 13 remains $892. All these tickets remain subject to the dynamic market and may fluctuate. Advertisement The higher pricing of the games involving Europe's largest teams underlines that these teams still appear to hold the greatest demand in the U.S. market, with Real Madrid a particular draw. This tournament has represented an attempt by FIFA to diversify interest in the global game. FIFA President Gianni Infantino claimed 'the new era of club football has truly started' after Al-Hilal knocked out English side Manchester City in the round of 16 but within the marketplace, it appears it will still take time to catch up. (The scene in Orlando in the match between Al-Hilal and Manchester City. Jose Breton / Pics Action / NurPhoto via Getty Images)
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
From attendances to NBA-style walkouts: Club World Cup talking points
Flamengo players celebrate during their victory over Chelsea in Philadelphia on Friday (FRANCK FIFE) The opening week of the first 32-team FIFA Club World Cup in the United States has been played under a political shadow, while South American sides impress and some games struggle to attract fans. AFP Sport looks at some of the main talking points at the tournament so far: Advertisement Political shadow FIFA have faced criticism for their increasingly close links to US President Donald Trump and his administration. Ahead of the tournament, UEFA accused FIFA chief Gianni Infantino of prioritising "private political interests" after he turned up late for FIFA's own congress because he met with Trump in the Middle East. Infantino was in the Oval Office again on Wednesday with a delegation from Juventus, as they shared an awkward exchange with Trump as he questioned them on transgender athletes. "It was a bit weird," said Juventus and USA forward Timothy Weah. Advertisement "When he started talking about the politics with Iran and everything, it's kind of, like... I just want to play football, man." Meanwhile some fans were worried by reports ICE (US Immigration and Customs Enforcement) officers were providing "security" at Club World Cup stadiums. Plainclothes ICE officers have been targeting what they say are "undocumented" migrants. To this point they do not appear to have apprehended any match-going supporters. European teams not getting it all their own way Europe's leading clubs are the richest in the world and it would be a surprise if the winner of the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup came from a different continent. Advertisement However, the evidence so far is that Europe's representatives are not having it all their own way. Up to Friday, clubs from Europe had won only half of 16 games against opponents from other continents, with South America showing it can more than hold its own. Paris Saint-Germain lost to Botafogo, while Chelsea were blown away by Flamengo. Real Madrid could not get the better of Saudi side Al-Hilal, but Europe sent far more clubs (12) than any other continent and it still looks likely that over half of the teams in the last 16 will be European. Attendances hold up despite empty seats There has been a lot of talk about empty seats, with the low point being the attendance of 3,412 in Orlando for Mamelodi Sundowns against Ulsan HD. Advertisement There were also barely 22,000 at Chelsea's win over Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, leaving around 50,000 empty seats in the stadium in Atlanta. Yet the average attendance over the first seven days at the tournament was 36,135. That is higher than the average in La Liga, Serie A or Ligue 1 over the last season. The games featuring South American teams have seen some incredible atmospheres, especially in Miami for Friday's clash between Bayern Munich and Boca Juniors. "Amazing, amazing," said Bayern coach Vincent Kompany when asked about the crowd, with passionate Boca fans making up the vast majority of the 63,587 attendance. Advertisement "It is one of these things: if you are not here it is sometimes hard to understand, but being here is an experience, a privilege." Waiting for the weather Several matches have been held up because of inclement weather. Common public safety protocols in the US mandate that outdoor sports events are suspended for at least 30 minutes if lightning or thunder is seen or heard in the nearby area. Two matches in Orlando, a regular location for tropical storms, have been suspended, while games in East Rutherford and Cincinnati have also been interrupted. National team coaches preparing for the 2026 World Cup must consider the best way to prepare their players to cope with such delays. Advertisement Climate change has been linked to an increase in frequency and intensity of storms and extreme weather conditions. 'Showbiz' NBA-style walkouts Organisers have jumped on the chance to make each game a show in the style of a traditional American sporting event, including having players come out onto the field one by one as their names are announced, like in the NBA. "Why not bring it to the Premier League," replied Chelsea's Romeo Lavia when asked if it could become a thing in England. "It's a bit of a showbiz thing, isn't it? I quite like it." Not everyone agrees with Lavia. "It's a bit slow. I find it a bit strange. It seems like putting on a show for the sake of it. It seems a bit pointless," said the Porto coach, Martin Anselmi. as-rbs/iwd
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
What to expect on day 8️⃣ of the 2025 Club World Cup
What to expect on day 8️⃣ of the 2025 Club World Cup The group stage of the FIFA Club World Cup reaches the second round for groups E and F. Check out what to expect from this Saturday's (21st) matches in the United States, with a special highlight on Fluminense! Advertisement You can sign up for DAZN to watch all the FIFA Club World Cup matches for free. Who's playing today? 👀 📸 Stu Forster - 2025 Getty Images Mamelodi Sundowns and Borussia Dortmund kick off the day of football in the USA at 1pm (BR)/5pm (PT), followed by Inter vs Urawa Reds at 4pm (BR)/8pm (PT), for groups F and E, respectively. At 7pm (BR)/11pm (PT), it's time to see Fluzão on the field against Ulsan HD, for group F, while River Plate vs Monterrey, with Sergio Ramos, close out the day in group E at 10pm (BR)/2am (PT). Player to watch 🔎 📸 FRANCK FIFE - AFP or licensors Well, by now there must be some Germans still looking for Jhon Arias at MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey. Advertisement The Colombian star put Dortmund's defenders in his pocket, tormenting the defense of the powerful German team, in the draw – which felt like a win – for Flu against BVB in the opener. Now it's time to see the Colombian in action against a theoretically weaker opponent. Will the star put on another show? Unmissable video 🎥 The energy of the fans at the Club World Cup is unmissable! Even more so with supporters like those of Mamelodi Sundowns, current leaders of group F! It's also worth highlighting the Botafogo fans, celebrating the victory over the Champions League winners, PSG. Interesting facts 📊 Did you know that Ulsan has already faced Fluminense in a friendly? It was in 1994, when the Tricolor was preparing for the Carioca tournament. The two teams faced off at Laranjeiras, and Fluminense won 1-0, with a goal from Rogerinho. Thirty-one years later, the two teams meet again – now in an official match. Borussia Dortmund should keep a close eye on Sundowns striker Iqraam Rayners, who has scored seven goals in his last nine matches, in addition to scoring in the opener and having two other goals disallowed. Inter and Urawa Red Diamonds have faced each other only once before – at the Saitama City Cup in 2004, where the Nerazzurri sent a reserve team coached by Fernando Orsi to participate, while the rest of the squad was in pre-season in Italy. They lost 1-0. River Plate heads into their match against Monterrey having scored an impressive 28 goals in their last 10 games. Our predictions 🔮 Mamelodi Sundowns 0-2 Borussia Dortmund Inter 1-0 Urawa Red Diamonds Fluminense 4-0 Ulsan River Plate 1-1 Monterrey Recommended reading 📲 🥇 The best of Friday at the Cup: European 'revenge' and 'La Bombonera' in Miami Advertisement This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here. 📸 FRANCK FIFE - AFP or licensors
New York Times
18-06-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Real Madrid vs Al-Hilal live updates: Club World Cup 2025 predictions, team news, latest score
Good day and welcome to the latest match of our FIFA Club World Cup coverage — specifically, a Group H opener between Real Madrid and Al-Hilal. Real Madrid are the one of the two La Liga representatives to get going at this tournament, and will be formidable opponents as they look to capture another world title. They are up against Saudi Pro League representatives in the competition, Al-Hilal. The Riyadh-based club qualified for the tournament courtesy of their 2021 Champions League (Asia) win. We have full build-up and match updates on the way for you, as well as all the insight you could wish for from our team of correspondents on the ground. Don't go anywhere — we've got you covered from here.
