Empty seats were spotted at a number of matches during the first round of Club World Cup fixtures More than 400,000 (423,004) seats have been left empty during the opening round of Club World Cup group matches in the United States. Stadiums have been 56.8% full, with more than half a million (556,369) spectators attending. Nine stadiums have been used for the first 16 matches of the tournament, with a combined capacity of 979,373. The expanded tournament is being treated as a dress rehearsal for the international men's World Cup next summer, which will be held in the USA, Canada and Mexico. Of the 16 matches played so far, half of the matches have seen attendances below 50% of the capacity of the stadium. The lowest attended game was South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns win over South Korean side Ulsan HD in front of 3,412 spectators at Inter & Co Stadium in Florida. The fixture between Ulsan HD and Mamelodi Sundowns was by far the worst attended match. The official attendance meant the stadium was just 13.6% full. Local journalist Maher Mezahi claimed to have counted 97 fans before kick-off and 577 with 10 minutes left to play. The stadium for River Plate's win over Japanese club Urawa Red Diamonds was 17% full, while it was 20% for Salzburg's win over Pachuca in Cincinnati. Only 31% of the capacity of Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium sawChelsea beat LAFCin their opening match. Despite the setbacks, Fifa is optimistic that attendances will increase. In a statement on Tuesday, it said that "four of the five top-selling group stage matches are still to come". Fifa says nearly 1.5m tickets have been sold for the tournament and despite the issues there have still been some large attendances. The highest-recorded crowd of 80,619 watchedParis St-Germain's 4-0 winover Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl Stadium in California. The three matches in Miami, which has a large Hispanic and Latino population, have been highly attended. Fifa said the opening game between Inter Miami and Al-Ahly was watched by 60,927. Boca Juniors' Group C match against Benfica had more than 55,000 in the 65,000-capacity Hard Rock Stadium. The third game in Miami had 62,415 attendReal Madrid's 1-1 drawwith Saudi Arabian side Al-Hilal. Inter Miami and Boca Juniors are playing in Miami again later in the group stage. There were gates of 18,161 for Juventus' win over Al-Ain and 21,152 for Bayern Munich's 10-0 win over Auckland City. The stadium's were 91% and 81% full, respectively - with the games taking place in smaller stadiums. Fifa may come to rue not doing the same with some of the matches scheduled during regular work hours. On Monday at 3pm local time, Chelsea beat LAFC in front of 22,137 fans - but in a stadium which can hold 71,000 spectators. Doug Roberson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution thinks there were several factors, but "it's not because people here don't care about soccer". "The people aren't here because it's Monday at 3pm," he said. "Frankly I am surprised there are as many as there are." Chelsea's low attendance over LAFC was put down to its scheduling Chelsea played at the stadium in Atlanta two years ago and almost sold out, with more than 70,000 fans watching them face Newcastle in a friendly tournament named the Premier League Summer Series. That match took place at 8.15pm. Two or three games are being played during regular work hours on every other weekday until the group stage ends on 26 June (noon, 2pm and 3pm local time). Tuesday's noon kick-off in New York saw more than 40,000 empty seats at the Met Life Stadium for the goalless draw between Borussia Dortmund and Fluminense. There were 30,000 empty seats in the same time slot on Wednesday in Philadelphia as Manchester City opened their campaign against Moroccan club Wydad Casablanca at the Lincoln Financial Field. Just over 12,000 attended the USA's Gold Cup match with Trinidad and Tobago The Club World Cup has had to go up against the Concacaf Gold Cup, which is also being held in the United States and Canada. The continental football tournament is contested between 16 nations across North America, Central America and the Caribbean. This year Saudi Arabia have also been invited to take part. Attendances have also been down for the tournament - the United States beat Trinidad and Tobago 5-0 in front 12,610 fans at the 18,000-capacity Pay Pal Park in California. Two years ago the same fixture in the same tournament attracted 40,000 fans in North Carolina.
More than 400,000 empty seats at Club World Cup so far
TruthLens AI Suggested Headline:
"Club World Cup Faces Attendance Challenges with Over 400,000 Empty Seats"
Bbc News
8.3
TruthLens AI Summary
The opening round of the Club World Cup has seen significant attendance issues, with over 423,000 seats left empty across various matches in the United States. The tournament, which is intended as a precursor to the upcoming international men's World Cup next summer, has recorded a stadium occupancy rate of only 56.8%, with more than half a million spectators attending the first 16 matches. While nine stadiums with a combined capacity of nearly 1 million were utilized, half of the matches experienced attendance figures below 50% of their total capacity. The lowest recorded attendance was during the match between South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns and South Korea's Ulsan HD, where only 3,412 fans showed up, resulting in a mere 13.6% occupancy at the venue. Other matches also suffered low turnouts, with several games in major stadiums like Mercedes-Benz Stadium and Hard Rock Stadium falling short of expectations.
FIFA remains optimistic about future attendance, noting that four of the five top-selling group stage matches are yet to occur, and nearly 1.5 million tickets have been sold for the tournament. The highest attendance thus far was 80,619 for Paris St-Germain's match against Atletico Madrid, indicating that there is still significant interest in certain fixtures. However, the scheduling of matches during regular work hours has been cited as a major factor affecting turnout. For instance, a match between Chelsea and LAFC on a Monday afternoon drew only 22,137 fans despite the stadium's 71,000 capacity. Competing events, such as the Concacaf Gold Cup, may also be contributing to the reduced attendance figures, as seen in matches that attracted only a fraction of their stadium's capacity. In light of these challenges, FIFA may need to reassess match timings and locations to boost attendance for the remainder of the tournament.
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