The Club World Cup is nearly finished in the United States, and FIFA's new tournament has certainly attracted its fair share of headlines worldwide, but not always for positive reasons.
There have been plenty of critics of the tournament, with some people arguing that it is overkill for the teams and players involved and others suggesting it's nothing but an attempt at a cash grab.
The attendances at the Club World Cup have also generated plenty of interest, and FIFA have been forced into slashing ticket prices for several matches over the last month to avoid the biggest host stadiums being left half-empty.
Have attendances been as low as pre-tournament predictions suggested, or have FIFA's ticket-slashing exercises paid off? Let's take a look.
Club World Cup attendances: Group stages
| Match | Stadium | Attendance | % of capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Al Ahly vs Inter Miami |
Hard Rock Stadium |
60,927 |
93% |
| Bayern Munich vs Auckland City |
TQL Stadium |
21,152 |
81% |
| PSG vs Atletico Madrid |
Rose Bowl |
80,619 |
90% |
| Palmeiras vs Porto |
MetLife Stadium |
46,275 |
56% |
| Botafogo vs Seattle Sounders |
Lumen Field
|
30,151
|
44%
|
| Chelsea vs Los Angeles FC |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
22,137 |
31% |
| Boca Juniors vs Benfica |
Hard Rock Stadium |
55,574 |
85% |
| Flamengo vs ES Tunis |
Lincoln Financial Field |
25,797 |
38% |
| Fluminense vs Borussia Dortmund |
MetLife Stadium |
34,736 |
42% |
| River Plate vs Urawa Reds |
Lumen Field |
11,974 |
17% |
| Ulsan vs Mamelodi Sundowns |
Inter & Co Stadium |
3,412 |
13% |
| Monterrey vs Inter Milan |
Rose Bowl |
40,311 |
45% |
| Man City vs Wydad |
Lincoln Financial Field |
37,446 |
55% |
| Real Madrid vs Al Hilal |
Hard Rock Stadium |
62,415 |
96% |
| Pachuca vs RB Salzburg |
TQL Stadium |
5,282 |
20% |
| Al Ain vs Juventus |
Audi Field |
18,161 |
91% |
| Palmeiras vs Al Ahly |
MetLife Stadium |
35,179 |
43% |
| Inter Miami vs Porto |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
31,783 |
45% |
| Seattle Sounders vs Atletico Madrid |
Lumen Field |
51,636 |
75% |
| PSG vs Botafogo |
Rose Bowl |
53,699 |
60% |
| Benfica vs Auckland City |
Inter&Co Stadium |
6,730 |
26% |
| Flamengo vs Chelsea |
Lincoln Financial Field |
54,019 |
80% |
| Los Angeles vs ES Tunis |
Geodis Park |
13,651 |
45% |
| Bayern Munich vs Boca Juniors |
Hard Rock Stadium |
63,587 |
97% |
| Mamelodi Sundowns vs Borussia Dortmund |
TQL Stadium |
14,006 |
54% |
| Inter Milan vs Urawa Reds |
Lumen Field |
25,090 |
36% |
| Fluminense vs Ulsan |
MetLife Stadium |
29,321 |
36% |
| River Plate vs Monterrey |
Rose Bowl |
57,393 |
64% |
| Juventus vs Wydad |
Lincoln Financial Field |
31,975 |
47% |
| Real Madrid vs Pachuca |
Bank of America Stadium |
70,248 |
94% |
| RB Salzburg vs Al Hilal |
Audi Field |
16,167 |
81% |
| Man City vs Al Ain |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
40,392 |
57% |
| Seattle Sounders vs PSG |
Lumen Field |
50,628 |
74% |
| Atletico Madrid vs Botafogo |
Rose Bowl |
22,992 |
26% |
| Inter Milan vs Palmeiras |
Hard Rock Stadium |
60,914 |
93% |
| Porto vs Al Ahly |
MetLife Stadium |
39,893 |
48% |
| Auckland City vs Boca Juniors |
Geodis Park |
16,899 |
56% |
| Benfica vs Bayern Munich |
Bank of America Stadium |
33,287 |
44% |
| ES Tunis vs Chelsea |
Lincoln Financial Field |
32,967 |
49% |
| Los Angeles FC vs Flamengo |
Camping World Stadium |
32,933 |
55% |
| Borussia Dortmund vs Ulsan |
TQL Stadium |
8,239 |
32% |
| Mamelodi Sundowns vs Fluminense |
Hard Rock Stadium |
14,312 |
22% |
| Urawa Reds vs Monterrey |
Rose Bowl |
14,312 |
16% |
| Inter Milan vs River Plate |
Lumen Field |
45,135 |
66% |
| Juventus vs Man City |
Camping World Stadium |
54,320 |
90% |
| Wydad vs Al Ain |
Audi Field |
10,785 |
54% |
| Al-Hilal vs Pachuca |
Geodis Park |
14,147 |
47% |
| RB Salzburg vs Real Madrid |
Lincoln Financial Field |
64,811 |
96% |
Club World Cup average attendances: How full were the stadiums during the group stages?
The attendance at the Club World Cup during the group stages was a mixed bag. While the tournament started strongly with 61,000 fans in attendance at the Hard Rock Stadium for Inter Miami vs Al Ahly, there have been plenty of alarming attendance figures.
Across the 48 games played during the group stage, only 25 of them were played at a stadium which was more than 50% full. The stadium that has been left the emptiest so far has been the Inter & Co Stadium for the match between Ulsan vs Mamelodi Sundowns, where the stadium was only at 13% of its capacity.
Another notable conclusion we can draw from the group stage attendances is that Inter Miami and Lionel Messi have had a positive impact on the interest in football in South Florida. The Hard Rock Stadium has consistently been close to capacity in six of the seven matches played there so far, with the only exception being the match between Mamelodi Sundowns and Fluminense on 25 June.
The same can't be said for all parts of the country, though, suggesting that Messi has more work to do if he is to truly make the USA fall in love with ‘soccer'. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta struggled throughout the group stages, with the highest attendance here being the 40,392 that showed up to watch Man City dismantle Al Ain.
During the group stages of the Club World Cup, each stadium was, on average, 54% full.
Club World Cup attendances: Knockout stages
| Match | Stadium | Attendance | % of capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmeiras vs Botafogo |
Lincoln Financial Field |
33,657 |
50% |
| Benfica vs Chelsea |
Bank of America Stadium |
25,929 |
35% |
| PSG vs Inter Miami |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
65,574 |
92% |
| Flamengo vs Bayern Munich |
Hard Rock Stadium |
60,914 |
93% |
| Inter Milan vs Fluminense |
Bank of America Stadium |
20,030 |
27% |
| Man City vs Al Hilal |
Camping World Stadium |
42,311 |
70% |
| Real Madrid vs Juventus |
Hard Rock Stadium |
62,149 |
95% |
| Borussia Dortmund vs Monterrey |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
31,442 |
44% |
| Fluminense vs Al Hilal |
Camping World Stadium |
43,091 |
66% |
| Palmeiras vs Chelsea |
Lincoln Financial Field |
65,782 |
97% |
| PSG vs Bayern Munich |
Mercedes-Benz Stadium |
66,937 |
94% |
| Real Madrid vs Borussia Dortmund |
MetLife Stadium |
76,611 |
93% |
| Palmeiras vs Chelsea |
MetLife Stadium |
65,782 |
80% |
| PSG vs Real Madrid |
MetLife Stadium |
77,542 |
94% |
Round of 16
The knockout stages of the Club World Cup began on Saturday, 28 June, and many people expected attendances to pick up. However, during the Round of 16, this wasn't really the case, with just four of the eight matches attacking more than 50% capacity.
The match between Inter Milan and Fluminense at the Bank of America Stadium was the worst-attended Round of 16 so far, pulling in a crowd of just 27% of the stadium's capacity.
On the flip side, the aforementioned Inter Miami effect continued in the first knockout round. Lionel Messi and co proved that there is interest in football in Atlanta after all, with 65,574 fans turning out to watch David Beckham's franchise take on PSG.
The Hard Rock Stadium also continued to be a shining light for the tournament. A total of 62,149 fans turned out to watch Real Madrid take on Juventus in the first knockout round, although this was one of the most attractive Round of 16 matches on paper.
Quarter-finals
Things certainly went up a notch for the quarter-finals, with three of the four ties being played in front of near-full stadiums. The only exception was the match between Al-Hilal and Fluminense at the Camping World Stadium in Orlando. However, even that match brought in a crowd of 43,091 – 66% of the stadium's overall capacity.
Semi-finals
Both semi-finals were played at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and given that attendances here had previously been on the low side, FIFA were concerned. As a result, they slashed prices to as low as £11 for the match between Fluminense and Chelsea on 4 July. This did the trick, as an attendance of 65,782 was registered.
For the other semi-final, FIFA didn't have to worry due to the magnitude of the fixture – PSG vs Real Madrid. Tickets were relatively hard to come by for this one, and the overall attendance was 77,542.
Final
The final of the Club World Cup is set to take place on Sunday, 13 July. The final will also take place at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and tickets for the match are now on sale. FIFA are selling tickets at a high price point, which could result in the stadium not being completely sold out for the final. To avoid this scenario from playing out, FIFA may choose to reduce ticket prices at the last minute.
Lowest Club World Cup attendance
The lowest attendance at the Club World Cup so far was for the match between Ulsan and the Mamelodi Sundowns at the Inter & Co Stadium. In total, 3,412 fans turned up for the match in Orlando. The lowest attendances at the tournament have consistently been from matches involving non-European and non-South American teams.
Highest Club World Cup attendance
The highest attendance at the Club World Cup so far was for the match between PSG and Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl in California. It was a sight to behold as more than 80,000 fans turned out to watch the Champions League winners in action, and they weren't disappointed as Luis Enrique's side ran out 4-0 winners.