chelsea to play in front of 50,000 empty seats – why did the Club World Cup fail?

in June 2025, Chelsea played their first match of the FIFA Club World Cup against LAFC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, USA, but only 22,137 of the 71,000 seats were filled, leaving more than 50,000 empty. “The atmosphere was a bit strange,” Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said. it was almost an empty stadium.”

why was the stadium so empty? analyzing the main causes

weekday daytime game time: The game was played at the odd time of 3pm on a local Monday, making it difficult for office workers and students to attend. It was scheduled for prime time on UK TV, making it less accessible to local fans

high ticket prices: The cheapest seats were around £37, which dropped to £26 during the match, but fans still felt it was “expensive.” A “buy one, get four free” promotion was run for some students, but it had little impact

low tournament awareness and lack of marketing: the Club World Cup had low awareness in the U.S., with FIFA organizing it directly and no local organizing committee, and a lack of marketing. Many local fans said they “didn’t even know what it was about.”

team fanbase and geographical limitations: LAFC was not an original participant, and Atlanta is more than 3,200 kilometers away, making it difficult to attract away fans

competitive scheduling and heat wave: The event was scheduled during European soccer’s off-season, and the sweltering heat (32 degrees Celsius) in the southern U.S., as well as an already packed soccer schedule, impacted box office

local and expert reaction and FIFA’s challenges

BBC says local media “FIFA rushed the tournament without proper marketing”

LAFC manager says “we’ll judge the crowds after the tournament,” noting that box office varied by region

some popular matches were close to full capacity, but tickets remain available for most group games, and emergency measures such as student discounts are in place

FIFA claims that “1.5 million tickets have been sold in 130 countries,” but on-the-ground sentiment is tepid

conclusion: Is the U.S. ready for the World Cup?

the Club World Cup was a rehearsal for the 2026 World Cup, but the box office failure and operational issues are a wake-up call for FIFA. a combination of factors, including game times, ticket prices, geography, and marketing, show that fan-friendly operations and localization strategies are essential if the U.S. is to truly become a “World Cup nation