Chelsea vs LAFC was played in a half-empty stadium. (Image: Getty)
FIFA chiefs have been left embarrassed as Chelsea's Club World Cup opener against LAFC was played in front of a half-empty stadium. The 71,000 capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta was filled with empty red seats, indicating a flop in ticket sales.
Despite a clear lack of demand, general admission tickets were still on sale for as high as £38 ($51) on Monday. The impressive £1billion stadium appeared far from half full at kick-off. Pre-match estimates suggested an expected crowd of around 26,000, though exact figures are difficult to determine.
In response to poor uptake, FIFA had lowered prices for matches in the States, resulting in better-than-anticipated attendances over the weekend.
Inter Miami's opening match of the tournament, featuring Lionel Messi, attracted 60,927 spectators for their game against Al Ahly.
Over 80,000 fans flocked to the Rose Bowl on Sunday to witness Paris Saint-Germain's 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid.
However, the match in Atlanta, scheduled for 3pm local time on a typical workday Monday, failed to draw the same level of interest.
The scheduling has evidently been problematic, and the number of vacant seats will undoubtedly be a disappointment to FIFA at the commencement of their revamped 32-team tournament.
The winners stand to receive £97m in prize money, with a total pot of £775m distributed throughout the four-week tournament held across the States.
Bayern Munich's staggering 10-goal victory in the Club World Cup has captured the attention of British viewers, with a whopping 560,000 tuning in to watch the German giants dismantle Auckland City on Channel 5.
Pedro Neto opened the scoring against LAFC. (Image: Getty)
The new tournament is proving to be a draw for fans, with an average of 392,000 watching the match, while England's under-21s also pulled in impressive figures on Channel 4.
Channel 5's live coverage of the tournament from the US, thanks to a deal with DAZN, could become a fan favourite if these numbers are anything to go by.
Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca named £30m newcomer Liam Delap among his substitutes for the opener. However, the Argentine tipped him to be England's future striker.
Maresca, who previously coached Delap in Manchester City's academy, believes the striker has what it takes to follow in Harry Kane's footsteps as the nation's leading forward.
He said: "When we faced Ipswich, before we faced Ipswich, so Liam was not a Chelsea player, I said that for me, Liam, potentially, he can be England number nine.
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"So he was not even with us. And for sure now that he's with us, I'm going to say again that I don't have any doubt that he can be in the future England number nine.
"And then the other one, we'll see. Liam knows quite well how important the number nine is for this club.
"Personally, I don't see any problem with that in terms of, I see Liam quite relaxed, easy, he's doing well, since he arrived, he's working well.
"We know each other from years ago, so I know what Liam can give us, and he knows what we can give to him to improve and to become a better player.
"And again in terms of number nine, hopefully he can score goals for us."
[(Monterrey) Strength]: 1. Monterrey lost to FC Cincinnati in the first round, ranking only 12th in the table. They have to win this game for a qualification spot, indicating full motivation.2. Veteran Sergio Canales scored a goal in the last game, once helping the team tie the game.3. Monterrey won 2 of the last 3 games in AH, revealing recent performances in line with expectations.[(Monterrey) N...
[(Molde FK) Strength]: 1. Molde FK are 13th in the league table, facing a risk of entering the relegation zone. Thus, they aim to take 3 points in this home game.2. Molde FK won 4-1 over Stromsgodset in the last league game at home, ending their 3-game losing streak and boosting their morale.3. In the last 5 encounters between both sides, Molde FK have the upper hand with 4 wins and 1 loss.4. The ...
[(KFUM-Kameratene Oslo) Strength]: 1. KFUM-Kameratene Oslo are 9th in the league table. Facing 5th-placed Rosenborg, they are eager to grab points in this game.2. KFUM-Kameratene Oslo won 3 league games in a row lately, with high morale. They secured a commanding 5-0 away win over Kristiansund BK in the last league game.3. KFUM-Kameratene Oslo were unbeaten with 3 wins and 1 draw in the last 4 hom...
[(Guadalajara Chivas) Strength]: 1. Guadalajara Chivas lost to New York Red Bulls in the first round. They have to go all out to win this game, if they want a qualification spot, indicating full motivation.[(Guadalajara Chivas) Neutral]: 1. Guadalajara Chivas scored 4 goals and conceded 5 in the last 3 games, revealing decent attack but unstable defense.2. Both sides have never met before, and thi...
[(HJK Helsinki) Strength]: 1. HJK Helsinki were unbeaten in the last 5 games, showing outstanding recent form.2. HJK Helsinki scored 13 goals in the last 5 games, averaging nearly 3 goals per game and indicating full offense.3. HJK Helsinki have the upper hand with 37 wins, 24 draws, and 14 losses in 75 encounters between both sides.4. HJK Helsinki won 4 of the last 5 games in AH, performing over ...
[(Santos FC) Strength]: 1. Alvaro Barreal scored 4 goals for Santos FC in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A this season, the top scorer of the team.2. Tiquinho made 3 assists for his side in the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A this season, the top assist of the team.3. Santos FC won the last 2 encounters between both sides, giving them a better mentality.[(Santos FC) Weakness]: 1. Santos FC were win...
[(Valerenga) Strength]: 1. Valerenga are 16th in the table, only one point ahead of the relegation zone. They are motivated to take points to move up in this game.2. Mathias Grundetjern scored a goal in the last game, once helping the team tie the game.3. Valerenga were unbeaten with 1 win and 1 draw in the last 2 home games, performing well at home lately.4. In the last 10 encounters between both...
[(Stromsgodset) Strength]: 1. Stromsgodset are only 2nd from the bottom of the table. They urgently need to take points to move up, showing full motivation in this game.2. Marko Farji played 16 league games this season, scoring 6 goals and providing 3 assists. He is important in the team's attack.3. Stromsgodset were unbeaten with 2 wins and 1 draw in the last 3 encounters between both sides, givi...
[(FC Akron Tolyatti) Strength]: 1. FC Akron Tolyatti showed multiple scorers on offense, having 5 players who scored in two league games in the new season.2. FC Akron Tolyatti forward Gilson Tavares scored a brace in the last Russian Cup game. He is expected to perform well in this league game.3. FC Akron Tolyatti won 2-1 over Baltika Kaliningrad in the last Russian Cup game at home. They were unb...
[(Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas) Strength]: 1. As the defending champions, Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas are only 7th with 26 points, far away from the top team. To get back into the title race, the team must go all out to earn points, so their desire to win is beyond doubt.2. Botafogo de Futebol e Regatas forward Arthur Cabral has performed impressively since joining from SL Benfica this summer, ...
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