The build-up to the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup was dominated by controversy and the jury remains out on the tournament, which got underway on June 14. The bulk of the recent criticism has been related to the number of fans attending games, with huge swathes of empty seats at stadiums across the United States.

FIFA Club World Cup attendance figures

More than half a million people (556,369, to be precise) attended the first 16 games of the tournament, which may sound like a lot. However, that figure means stadiums have only been 56.8% full, with 423,004 seats left empty.

There have been some success stories. Real Madrid’s draw against Al Hilal at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami attracted a crowd of 62,415, 96% of the total capacity. Meanwhile, 80,619 flocked to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena to see Paris Saint-Germain take Atlético Madrid apart. That said, 10% of the stadium remained empty.

But a number of games have done very little to capture the imagination of both locals and traveling fans. In that regard, the most serious offenders have been Ulsan HD vs Mamelodi Sundowns, which drew an attendance of just 3,412 (13.6% of the capacity of Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando), and Pachuca against RB Salzburg (5,282, 20% of TQL Stadium in Cincinnati).

Why are so few fans attending FIFA Club World Cup games?

There are a number of theories as to why certain games have been so poorly attended.

Tournament expansion: bigger isn’t always better

The expansion of the tournament, while welcomed in many countries of the world, has led to a lineup of participants which varies hugely both in terms of quality and, to be frank, pulling power.

While PSG against Atlético, or Manchester City against Juventus will get the average soccer fan’s juices flowing, was it really a huge surprise to see such a sparse attendance at a game in Orlando between Ulsan and Mamelodi Sundowns? Both are low-profile clubs, in international terms, playing thousands of miles from home.

Kickoff times

With teams from all around the globe taking part, FIFA has faced the difficult challenge of finding the right time at which to schedule games, mainly for the benefit of fans who want to watch back home.

That has undoubtedly had an impact on stadium attendances, with several games kicking off at 12pm or 3pm local time during the week, when locals are at work.

The best example is Chelsea’s win over LAFC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, a 71,000-capacity stadium which attracted just 22,137 fans. Two years ago, the Premier League club almost sold out a preseason friendly in the very same stadium against Newcastle United, a game which took place in the evening.

Gold Cup clash

The 2025 Gold Cup, featuring the USMNT, Mexico, Canada and Saudi Arabia among the 16 participants, is taking place at the same time, also in the United States, as well as Canada. The Gold Cup started on the same day (June 14) and finishes a week earlier.

The international tournament has also struggled with attendances, so it appears the two competitions going up against one another isn’t doing either many favors.

Lack of interest?

One of the criticisms of the expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup was that FIFA had created a tournament that nobody had been asking for.

Many saw it as a one-man vanity project, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino desperately looking to find a way to boost his ego - and bank balance - by copying the uber-successful and hugely-lucrative UEFA Champions League in European club soccer.

With so much soccer already being played all year round, and so many games available for fans to watch on a daily basis, perhaps the FIFA Club World Cup is simply filling a gap that didn’t really exist?

At just a week into the tournament, it’s too early to say. But with the spotlight firmly on elite-level soccer’s newest addition, people will keep counting those empty seats until there are none left.

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