Many matches at the 2026 World Cup will take place under cover
Despite much criticism, FIFA President Gianni Infantino affirmed that the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™ taking place in the United States was a success in every way, creating the premise and gathering valuable experience to prepare for the 2026 World Cup in the most perfect way.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (center) with former players, including Ronaldo Nazario, at a recent event. They are also ambassadors for the 2026 World Cup.
Photo: Reuters
"Every criticism we receive is a source of information for us to study, analyze and consider what we can do better," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said on July 13, ahead of the Club World Cup final between Chelsea and PSG at 2 a.m. on July 14 (Vietnam time) at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. This is also the stadium where the 2026 World Cup final will be held on July 19, 2026, with a capacity of up to 82,500 seats.
"Regarding the Club World Cup 2025, we have generated more than 2 billion USD in revenue. That is 31 million USD per match (about more than 809 billion VND). No other club tournament can compare," FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized. He also confirmed that US President Donald Trump will attend the final match between Chelsea and PSG and may present the trophy to the champion team.
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Meanwhile, speaking of criticism of low attendances, many matches have been played in stadiums with too large a capacity. FIFA President Gianni Infantino said: "I don't know how, but I actually prefer to put 35,000 fans in a stadium with 80,000 seats, rather than 20,000 fans in a stadium with 20,000 seats."
In fact, the 2025 Club World Cup has attracted more than 2.4 million viewers before the final, an average of 38,886 viewers per match. A dream number, although there were many criticisms at the beginning. Many matches reached record numbers of viewers, such as PSG's 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid in the group stage, attracting 80,619 viewers at the Rose Bowl. Or matches with famous player Messi, such as the opening match between Inter Miami and Al Ahly (Egypt) at the Hard Rock Stadium, with 60,927 viewers.
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Photo: Reuters
In the round of 16, PSG's 4-0 win over Inter Miami also attracted 65,574 spectators at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. This is also the most modern covered stadium in the US.
In the quarterfinals and semi-finals, the matches all attracted over 70,000 viewers, especially with 3 matches taking place at MetLife Stadium, including the quarter-final match between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund with a score of 3-2, and the 2 semi-final matches between Chelsea and Fluminense with a score of 2-0 and PSG and Real Madrid with a score of 4-0.
"About the complaints about the heat or the extreme weather conditions. It's definitely a problem. But it's a problem all over the world. Last year at the Olympics in Paris, the matches were played during the day, in all the sports , in very hot weather conditions.
In the United States, we also have covered stadiums. So certainly when we host the 2026 World Cup at the same time next year, covered stadiums will be used more. In addition, halftime is very important and we will see what we can do. This could be our big change for the 2026 World Cup, following what we did in the 2025 Club World Cup," added Gianni Infantino.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino (center) with Ronaldo Nazario (left) and Inter Miami Club President David Beckham
Photo: Reuters
Former Brazilian footballer Ronaldo Nazario has backed FIFA President Gianni Infantino's views. He said: "I see two people criticising the FIFA Club World Cup. One hates everything except La Liga (referring to Spanish La Liga President Javier Tebas). And the other (coach Jurgen Klopp) - we respect their opinions, but I think that when the president (FIFA, Gianni Infantino) tells you about the events, about the quantity, about the enthusiasm of the people, the fans and about the quality of the matches, I think this is a huge success."
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/fifa-tiet-lo-doanh-thu-cuc-khung-xac-nhan-su-thay-doi-lon-o-world-cup-2026-185250713114007256.htm
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