Club World Cup: Million Empty Seats in Group Stage

Uneven Assistance in the Club World Cup

The group stage of the Club World Cup has revealed a worrying statistic: one million empty seats in the stadiums during the 48 matches played so far, just one year before the United States hosts the 2026 World Cup. Nine teams qualified for the round of 16 from Europe, along with four from Brazil and one each from Major League Soccer, Mexico, and Saudi Arabia. Approximately 56.7% of the announced public capacity was filled for the 48 group stage matches, which included crowds of 3,412 and 6,730 in Orlando, Florida; 5,282 and 8,239 in Cincinnati. FIFA did not provide specific capacities for the tournament despite repeated requests.

The total announced attendance was 1.67 million spectators out of a capacity of 2.95 million, with an average of 34,746 per match. Only 44.9% filled for five matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, host of next year’s World Cup final, and 50% at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, where the 1994 championship match was played. Among other 2026 venues, 81.8% of the capacity was filled in Miami Gardens, Florida, 61.6% in Philadelphia, 52% in Seattle, and 44.3% in Atlanta.

The tournament’s appetite speaks for itself: fans from 168 countries have already bought tickets… a clear sign of anticipation and global reach.

FIFA

The 12 televised games with English commentary on TNT, TBS and truTV averaged 360,000 viewers through Monday, including 409,000 for seven games on nights and weekends.