Ahead of Next Year’s World Cup, FIFA Learns Lessons About What Not To Do

The organizer of the newly expanded Club World Cup unfolding across the United States, FIFA, is saying it is unfazed by the tournament’s sluggish start at the turnstiles.Half a million fans have attended the opening round of group matches, but the stadium occupancy rate of 56.8 percent is well below the expected sellouts FIFA hoped to generate. According to various reports, of the 979,373 seats available across nine stadiums for the first 16 games, 413,004 were empty.Six matches have drawn more 50,000 fans, including 80,619 for Paris Saint-Germain’s victory over Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl. But only 3,412 attended South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns victory over Ulsan HD of South Korea in Orlando. That represented just 17 percent of the stadium’s capacity. Only 20 percent of seats in Cincinnati were occupied for RB Salzburg vs. Pachuca.Matches featuring marquee teams also had disappointing attendance. An English powerhouse, Chelsea, drew an announced crowd of 22,137 for its win over LAFC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which seats 71,000.“This is a world tournament. It deserves more,” Chelsea’s manager, Enzo Maresca, said.FIFA expanded the Club World Cup to 32 teams from 12 this year, hoping to expose Americans to high-level international competition ahead of the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. But the opening week has been challenged by poor scheduling, where games started at midday, extreme hot weather, an unfamiliar fan base, and concerns about immigration agents patrolling stadium grounds.FIFA remains optimistic that attendance will increase as the tournament moves toward the finale set for July 14 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. “We are introducing many new, successful clubs from all over the world through this tournament being staged in the 11 cities across the United States,” FIFA said in a statement to the Athletic. “Overall, we anticipate great attendance through the competition for this first-ever edition — a tournament that we believe will grow edition on edition.”Results from Thursday night’s matches could help generate interest. At Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, soccer legend Lionel Messi scored his first goal of the tournament on a stunning free kick to give Inter Miami a 2-1 triumph over Portuguese powerhouse FC Porto, a two-time European champion. It marked the first time an MLS team defeated a European professional team in global competition and the first time a team from the United States won a Club World Cup match.Inter Miami plays Brazilian side Palmeiras in its final group stage match on Monday at Hard Rock Stadium. A draw or victory secures Miami’s place in the Round of 16.Inter Miami’s coach, Javier Mascherano, called it “a historic day for our club,” adding, “It was a source of pride to play with the courage they showed. In futbol, there are hierarchies, and we faced a team with a hierarchy, with world-class players.”Meanwhile, Brazilian club Botafogo scored the biggest upset thus far, taking down Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 before 53,699 at the Rose Bowl. PSG, the reigning French and European champion and pre-tournament favorite, entered the Club World Cup with a six-game win streak, but now needs a victory Monday over the Seattle Sounders in Seattle to advance.If the Club World Cup is a dress rehearsal for next year’s World Cup, the first week offered lessons on what not to do. Don’t schedule all group competitions at the largest venues. A true soccer stadium that seats 30,000 looks vibrant and full when 25,000 attend, but feels empty amid a 70,000-seat stadium for American football.The scheduling of matches also deserves closer consideration. Matches played at midday during the middle of the week, when people are at work, aren’t going to draw as many fans as evening matches. The summer heat also harms attendance as well as the players. After playing in 85-degree weather in Los Angeles, Atletico Madrid’s Marcos Llorente said, “The heat is terrible. My toes hurt. Even my toenails. We are adapting to the heat of playing in these hours … no one in Europe is used to it.”The political climate also hasn’t helped. International fans must deal with restrictive visa policies. Meanwhile, with federal agents, including ICE, patrolling each venue, there are concerns over immigration enforcement.

Ahead of Next Year’s World Cup, FIFA Learns Lessons About What Not To Do

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