Empty seats once again as the Club World Cup struggles to attract fans
River Plate and Urawa Red Diamonds drew a small crowd at Lumen Field. Not even 30% of the stadium’s capacity with entire sections completely empty.
The first two matchdays at FIFA’s newly-revamped Club World Cup drew bumper crowds at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium and Pasadena’s Rose Bowl but since then, the tournament’s visual story has taken a sharp turn. The initial buzz appears to be waning.
More than 10,000 empty seats were reported for Chelsea’s opener against LAFC in Atlanta - and attendance figures haven’t been improving. According to FIFA, just 11,974 fans showed up for this evening’s clash between River Plate and Urawa Red Diamonds at Lumen Field in Seattle. A stadium filled to just 17.4% of its capacity... a sobering stat for a high profile, international tournament.
Midweek matches fail to entice supporters
To be fair, the match was scheduled for midday on a weekday, right in the middle of the American working week—a tough sell even for die-hard fans. But the sorry sight of a sparsely filled stadium at a world-class event are raising eyebrows.
Most of the fans that turned up to the Seahawks’ stadium were Argentinean — but the real surprise was at the opposite end. A sea of red-clad Japanese supporters transformed the south end of Lumen Field into their battleground, drums pounding and arms raised in unison. Chanting from start to finish — in spite of the result, and their energy more than rivaled their South American counterparts.
Meanwhile, the iconic north stand belonged entirely to River Plate’s faithful, the Millonarios. But when it came to noise and passion, it was the Urawa Reds fans who stole the show.
Despite the effort from both sets of fans, the match unfolded with the air of a mid-summer friendly — miles away from the high-stakes tension you’d expect at a Club World Cup. Entire sections of Lumen Field were visibly empty. The side sections were not fully filled, and the upper deck? Not a single fan above the ring of VIP suites and video scoreboards.
“An unwelcoming venue”
Just two days earlier, during Botafogo’s clash with the Seattle Sounders, attendance barely cleared 50%. Hardly inspiring for a Club World Cup match - on a Sunday, featuring the host team and the reigning South American champions. A modest crowd of 30,151 showed up.
For the River Plate–Urawa Red Diamonds game - with all eyes on Real Madrid-bound starlet Franco Mastantuono—the turnout was even more underwhelming. It didn’t come as a shock to River’s head coach, Marcelo Gallardo, who had already sounded the alarm during his pre-match press conference: “We didn’t get lucky with the host city draw. This isn’t a welcoming place for our supporters.”
FIFA maintain ticket sales are strong
In stark contrast to the empty seats captured on camera, FIFA is touting the strong turnout for its revamped Club World Cup. According to a press release issued by the federation on Tuesday afternoon—just as the River Plate vs. Urawa Red Diamonds match kicked off—more than 340,000 fans have already attended matches, with 1.5 million tickets sold across the tournament’s 12 host cities.
A Club World Cup match, played at midday on a Tuesday under the West Coast sun—a world away from Buenos Aires, from the buzz of Miami, and from the electric atmosphere you’d expect at a true World Cup setting.
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