Club World Cup Players Promote Their Own Matches
The topic of attendance at the Club World Cup remained relevant even by the time of the semifinals. A day before the match between Fluminense and Chelsea, the Blues' star players shared links on their social media pages encouraging fans to buy tickets. Organizers were worried the game might attract too few spectators — something that would be clearly noticeable in the 82,500-capacity MetLife Stadium.
Ticket prices dropped by a factor of 36 — beer and snacks cost more. FIFA has been signing deals with colleges and actively promoting the tournament online, yet the stands continue to look empty. At least, that’s the impression given by bloggers and analysts. But is the situation really that bad?
Only partially. At the very least, matches involving major clubs have managed to draw solid crowds. For example, the PSG vs. Atlético Madrid group stage match at the Rose Bowl attracted 80,616 fans — that's 91.1% of the stadium’s capacity. For both teams, it became their most attended match of the season.
Top 5 Most Attended Matches of the Club World Cup
| Match | Stage | Stadium | Attendance | Capacity | Occupancy (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PSG – Atlético | Group Stage | Rose Bowl | 80,616 | 88,500 | 91.1% |
| Real Madrid – Dortmund | Quarterfinal | MetLife Stadium | 76,611 | 82,500 | 92.9% |
| Real Madrid – Pachuca | Group Stage | Bank of America Stadium | 70,248 | 74,867 | 93.8% |
| PSG – Bayern | Quarterfinal | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 66,937 | 71,000 | 94.3% |
| Palmeiras – Chelsea | Quarterfinal | Lincoln Financial Field | 65,782 | 69,176 | 95.1% |
Still, 8,000 empty seats were hard to miss. And that’s the core issue with the Club World Cup: statistics might say everything is fine, but the empty seats affect the atmosphere. In Europe, people aren't used to this.
All five of the tournament’s most attended matches featured at least one European club. Sure, one might argue that hordes of Palmeiras and Pachuca fans flew to the U.S., but it’s obvious that the crowd mainly came to see Real Madrid and Chelsea.
Top 5 Club World Cup Matches by Highest Stadium Occupancy
| Match | Stage | Stadium | Occupancy (%) | Capacity | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bayern – Boca Juniors | Group Stage | Hard Rock Stadium | 97.8% | 65,000 | 63,587 |
| Real Madrid – Al-Hilal | Group Stage | Hard Rock Stadium | 96.0% | 65,000 | 62,415 |
| Real Madrid – Juventus | Round of 16 | Hard Rock Stadium | 95.6% | 65,000 | 62,149 |
| Palmeiras – Chelsea | Quarterfinal | Lincoln Financial Field | 95.1% | 69,176 | 65,782 |
| PSG – Bayern | Quarterfinal | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 94.3% | 71,000 | 66,937 |
There is a silver lining for FIFA President Gianni Infantino, though — three of the four quarterfinal fixtures made it into the top five most viewed games. However, the ranking by stadium occupancy tells a different story: Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium leads that list, hosting three of the five most packed matches. The Bayern vs. Boca Juniors match drew 63,587 spectators, filling 97.8% of the venue. Not bad at all!
Published by Patrick Jane
11.07.2025