FIFA was right to put their faith in Messi
According to Spanish newspaper AS , FIFA was right to put its faith in the Messi effect, after the Argentine star completely changed American soccer in just over 2 years of playing. This star brought an extremely large financial power. FIFA awarded Messi's Inter Miami club a place in the Club World Cup despite many controversies. But so far, this decision has probably been partially successful.
FIFA puts Messi at the centre of attention at Club World Cup to attract viewers
Photo: Reuters
The opening match of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup™ looked set to be a sleepy affair, with just over 20,000 tickets sold at Hard Rock Stadium a week before the tournament began. But in the end, the Messi effect came to FIFA’s rescue, with the world football body taking decisive action to reduce ticket prices to meet fan demands.
Hard Rock Stadium welcomed 60,927 spectators on opening day, compared to the stadium's maximum capacity of 64,767 seats. This shows that the stadium was almost full, as expected by FIFA, according to AS . But the surprise was even bigger when the next match between PSG and Atletico Madrid with a score of 4-0 in the opening match of Group B at the Rose Bowl (Pasadena City, California) on June 16, welcomed a record audience of up to 80,619 spectators.
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"This is the highest attendance for a football match this season," FIFA said. Meanwhile, the remaining matches also welcomed the number of spectators as expected by FIFA. The match with the lowest number of spectators was Bayern Munich's 10-0 win over Auckland City at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati on June 16, with 21,152 spectators compared to the stadium's capacity of 26,000 seats.
FIFA announces PSG's 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid at Rose Bowl sets attendance record
Photo: FIFA/X screenshot
The stadium was packed with 80,619 spectators for the match between PSG and Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl.
Photo: Reuters
The match between Palmeiras and FC Porto, which ended 0-0 on June 16 at MetLife Stadium, also had 46,275 spectators, most of whom were Palmeiras fans from Brazil. Fans of this team had previously marched loudly in Times Square in New York City with tens of thousands of people to show their strength.
According to AS : "The value that Messi brings to American football is extremely large, especially in MLS, when he helps this tournament increase its revenue by 10% since 2024. Besides that, there are a series of other commercial values, thanks to attracting viewers. All are effective. In 2024 alone, the franchise value of MLS increased by 6% and the 5 teams of this tournament are now worth more than 1 billion USD (about 26,097 billion VND)".
"FIFA knows exactly what is driving this surge: Messi. That is why the player has been made a focus of attention by FIFA, before and when the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ officially opens on June 15. Messi is not only one of football's greatest ambassadors, but also the face of a tournament increasingly shaped by star power and commercial appeal," AS emphasized.
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Source: https://thanhnien.vn/fifa-thang-lon-nho-hieu-ung-messi-them-tran-dau-lap-ky-luc-hon-80000-khan-gia-185250616093532192.htm
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