The tournament delivered spectacle and a clear warning: hosting the world’s biggest sporting event next summer will take more than world-class stadiums.
The roar inside MetLife Stadium on Sunday when Chelsea beat Paris Saint-Germain 3–0 in the FIFA Club World Cup final sounded like a triumph for soccer in the United States. Blue and red shirts, chants in multiple languages, and a sellout crowd lent the match an atmosphere worthy of Europe’s biggest stages.
But just weeks earlier, on sweltering afternoons in Orlando and Cincinnati, the stands were half empty. Fans who had paid hundreds of dollars for early tickets saw prices plummet to $13 just days before kickoff. Outside, supporters worried about visa delays and immigration enforcement stayed away entirely.
The 2025 Club World Cup — expanded to 32 teams for the first time — delivered moments of spectacle and a clear warning: Staging the world’s largest sporting event here next summer will require more than world-class stadiums.Pricing Fans Out, Then Back In
The most glaring misstep of the tournament was ticket pricing. Semifinal seats initially ran as high as $473, with premium final seats topping $2,900. As empty rows piled up, FIFA slashed prices dramatically — one Chelsea-Fluminense semifinal ticket fell to $13, less than a stadium beer.
«It was a really good idea, but they totally screwed up how they did it», said Paul Jones, a PSG fan, speaking to Newsweek before the game. «The tickets were way too expensive, so the stadiums were half-empty. If they’d made it cheaper, way more fans would’ve come.»
By the knockout rounds, lower ticket prices and marquee matchups drew big crowds. But the sight of empty seats and frustrated fans in the group stage highlighted poor planning.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino nevertheless called the tournament a success. Before the final, FIFA announced that more than 2.3 million fans from 180 countries had attended.
«It’s been a historic milestone», Infantino said, adding that the turnout was «a pleasant surprise» having crossed the two-million attendance mark just 10 days after reaching one million attendees.Playing in an Oven
Midday kickoffs, timed for European television, left players and fans baking in 100-degree heat in cities like Miami and Charlotte.
