Chelsea Play to 50,000 Empty Seats – Poor Scheduling or Fan Apathy?

Chelsea Play to Sparse Crowd in Club World Cup Opener Amid Criticism Over FIFA Scheduling and Marketing
Chelsea’s FIFA Club World Cup campaign kicked off in front of tens of thousands of empty seats at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia — raising fresh concerns about the tournament’s appeal and FIFA’s organization strategy.

The match, which saw Chelsea beat Los Angeles FC 2–0, was scheduled at 3 p.m. local time on a Monday — an unusual and inconvenient time that many believe contributed to the underwhelming turnout.
The announced attendance was 22,137 in a stadium that holds up to 71,000 spectators, with the entire top tier closed off. Even then, the lower bowl was only sparsely filled.
Before kickoff, ticket prices started around £37 ($47), dropping to as low as £26 ($33) during the game. Despite the discounts, large sections of the stadium remained empty, prompting criticism over pricing and planning.

Tickets remained widely available online throughout the match.
Lack of Local Relevance, Travel Distance, and Fan Disconnect
Los Angeles FC, Chelsea’s opponents, are based over 2,000 miles away from Atlanta — hardly ideal for building local interest.

Despite Chelsea’s larger global fan base, their supporters remained relatively quiet, only reacting during key moments such as the goals and debut of Liam Delap.
LAFC’s 150-strong group of travelling “ultras” were far more vocal, dominating the stadium atmosphere.
The low turnout is fueling debate about whether the revamped Club World Cup, being held exclusively in the U.S. this year, is failing to connect with American audiences.
The tournament is seen as a dry run for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
Experts Point to Scheduling and Poor Marketing
Doug Roberson, a journalist with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, told the BBC that the timing of the match was a critical misstep.
“It’s not because people here don’t care about soccer,” he said. “It’s a Monday at 3 p.m. I’m surprised there were as many as there were.”
He added that the Club World Cup remains relatively unknown among American fans, and many are saving money for next summer’s World Cup. “Ticket prices were ridiculous for a tournament people don’t fully understand,” he said.
Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer blamed FIFA’s lack of localized promotion. “You can’t just expect people to show up,” he said. “There was no proper local organizing committee. FIFA did it all in-house — and it shows.”
FIFA Faces Growing Scrutiny
BBC Sport’s chief football writer, Phil McNulty, called the empty seats a “major embarrassment” for FIFA.
“There were long-standing concerns this overstuffed tournament would fail to capture public imagination — and those fears were confirmed,” he wrote.
He warned that if FIFA doesn’t address scheduling and affordability, the 2026 World Cup could face similar pitfalls.
Despite the disappointing visuals, FIFA insists that the tournament is still gaining traction.
Some matches have attracted strong crowds — including over 80,000 for PSG vs Atletico Madrid and 60,000 for Inter Miami vs Al-Ahly.
Still, most upcoming matches have thousands of unsold tickets, and FIFA is using dynamic pricing — even offering buy-one-get-four promotions to boost attendance.
With more weekday matches set for noon, 2 p.m., and 3 p.m. local time, attendance figures may continue to be a sore point — and serve as a warning for FIFA as it looks ahead to its global showpiece event in 2026.
Chelsea Play to 50,000 Empty Seats – Poor Scheduling or Fan Apathy?