FIFA has invested heavily and placed high hopes on the new FIFA Club World Cup to become the top event in football. However, they have faced a cold reception from fans.
Empty stands are a "specialty" at the FIFA Club World Cup, even though the world football governing body has tried every way to fill them.
The match between Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns only saw nearly 600 spectators enter Orlando Stadium to watch (Photo: Daily Mail).
However, the match between Ulsan HD (Korea) and Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa) last night at Orlando Stadium left many people disappointed. According to reporter Maher Mezahi, there were only 97 people in the stadium when the clock counted down to kick-off. Even when the match was about to start, the number was estimated to be around 557.
This is considered a record for the lowest number of spectators watching a match at the FIFA Club World Cup. Although FIFA later announced the official number as 3,412 spectators. However, the images circulating showing rows of empty seats in the stands have made many people doubt the honesty of the number of spectators provided by FIFA.
According to the Daily Mail, FIFA was concerned about the image of empty stands on television. Therefore, they rearranged the positions of fans to "fill" the empty space in front of the camera lens.
In fact, the crowd turned away from the FIFA Club World Cup right from the opening match, when Inter Miami faced Al Ahly. The notable match between Chelsea and Los Angeles FC attracted only about 22,000 people to the stadium, less than a third of the stadium's capacity (75,000 seats). Although tickets started at around $48, most of the upper stands were forced to close due to lack of buyers.
To save the situation, FIFA has lowered ticket prices for many matches. Local university students can even buy tickets for as little as $20.
Despite the disappointing figures, FIFA confirmed that nearly 1.5 million tickets have been sold for this year's tournament, with more than 340,000 spectators having attended the first eight matches. The body also said that four of the five most-sold group stage matches have yet to take place.
However, the reaction from fans on social media showed widespread disappointment. On Twitter, one account commented: “This year’s FIFA Club World Cup has been a real disaster for the small teams. I wonder if even 200 people will come to Orlando?”
Even the match between Chelsea and Los Angeles FC saw only one-third of the stands filled (Photo: Reuters).
Another person sarcastically said: “Many semi-professional stadiums in England have more spectators than this match.” Another viewer asked: “If there really were less than 1,000 people watching Ulsan vs Sundowns, it’s unbelievable. I just watched and there were hardly any spectators. If this continues, will FIFA President Infantino be punished? He won’t bring himself down.”
The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup is backed by a prize fund of up to $1 billion. European teams will receive a minimum of $12.81 million and a maximum of $38.19 million. Clubs in South America will also receive around $15.21 million. CONCACAF, Asian and African clubs will receive around $9.55 million, while New Zealand’s Auckland City will receive $3.58 million.
Group stage teams will receive an additional $2 million for each win and $1 million for each draw. Round of 16 teams will receive $7.5 million, quarter-finalists will receive $13.1 million, semi-finalists will receive $21 million, and finalists will receive $30 million. The champions will receive $40 million.
According to calculations, the champion team can receive 125 million USD. This is a huge amount of money, not inferior to the top European tournaments.
Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/tran-dau-o-club-world-cup-lap-ky-luc-khong-mong-muon-cdv-oan-trach-fifa-20250618121234311.htm
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