When it comes to the events on the pitch, the Club World Cup seems like the right move right from the start, especially with teams from the rest of the world showing their teeth at the rich Europeans. A look at the stands, however, paints a different picture.
The main question these days is why there are so many empty seats in phenomenal stadiums across the United States.
First of all, it is obvious that FIFA did a poor job of generating interest among the hosts for this certainly historic tournament.
- FIFA reportedly spent more than $50 million on marketing in an effort to drum up interest, but the engagement of social media influencers apparently failed to convince Atlantans to shell out the $52 that was reportedly the cheapest available ticket for Monday's game between Chelsea and Los Angeles, Sports Illustrated wrote.
It was the match played at the space-like "Mercedes Benz Stadium" in the capital of Georgia that caught the attention of many, as the stands looked sadly empty, with only 32 percent of the 71.000-seat football stadium filled.
"The idea of filling a 71.000-seat stadium at 15 p.m. on a Monday was absurd - especially for a game that didn't feature a local team. Keep in mind that Atlanta United leads MLS in average attendance," US Today points out.
In the end, there were 22.000 fans in the stands, which is actually not a bad number when all the aforementioned factors are taken into account.
- Considering all that, the attendance was a small triumph. After all, Chelsea will play in front of half that number of fans when they visit Bournemouth's Vitality during the upcoming Premier League season - explained the British "Guardian".
FIFA didn't understand the problem of huge stadiums, just like MLS clubs didn't at first, who played in NFL temples. Most clubs eventually realized their mistake, so they built their own stadiums with smaller capacities, but which are always full.
- At the grandiose MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, there were many noisy Brazilian Fluminense fans for the match against Dortmund, but the 84.000-seat stadium was still half full. If Fifa had opted for the New York Red Bull Arena, which is smaller and more accessible to fans, the picture would have been much nicer - adds the Guardian.
The average attendance in the Club World Cup so far is around 35.000 per match, while at the 1994 World Cup for national teams in the same country the average was almost 70.000.
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