Fifa Club World Cup Standings Hit By Low Attendance
With the tournament still in its early stages, Fifa will be hoping that attendance picks up, and the excitement of the matches on the field will draw in more spectators. The large attendances in Miami and at the Rose Bowl Stadium are a positive sign, but more needs to be done to address the scheduling issues and fill the empty seats.
The Fifa Club World Cup in the US has seen a significant number of empty seats, with stadiums averaging only 56.8% capacity, despite nearly 1.5 million tickets being sold. The tournament, which is being treated as a dress rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup, has had half of its matches with attendances below 50% of the stadium's capacity.
The lowest attendance was recorded for a match between South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and Ulsan HD, with only 3,412 spectators in the stadium. However, Fifa remains optimistic about the tournament's success, citing large attendances in Miami and at the Rose Bowl Stadium. The Club World Cup kicked off on Tuesday with four matches, including a 0-0 draw between Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense, and a 3-1 win for River Plate over Urawa Red Diamonds.
Scheduling issues, including weekday matches during regular work hours, have been cited as a factor in the low attendance. Despite this, the tournament has seen some exciting matches, with Jobe Bellingham making his debut for Dortmund, and River Plate's Facundo Colidio and Sebastián Driussi scoring goals for their team. The tournament continues on Saturday with matches between Fluminense and Ulsan, Dortmund and Mamelodi Sundowns, and River Plate and Monterrey.
As the tournament progresses, it will be interesting to see if attendance improves, and how the scheduling issues are addressed. The Fifa Club World Cup is an important event, not only for the teams participating but also for the 2026 World Cup, and its success will be closely watched by football fans around the world.