Club World Cup Attendance Disappoints: Over 1 Million Seats Empty in Group Stage Ahead of 2026 World Cup

The Club World Cup group stage saw a million empty seats in the stands over the 48 games in the tournament so far, a year before the United States hosts the 2026 World Cup.

Nine teams that advanced to the round of 16 are from Europe. Four are from Brazil and one each from Major League Soccer, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.

About 56.7% of publicly listed capacity was filled for the 48 group stage matches, which included crowds of 3,412 and 6,730 in Orlando, Florida; 5,282 and 8,239 in Cincinnati. FIFA did not provide specific capacities for the tournament despite repeated requests from The Associated Press.

Total announced attendance was 1.67 million from 2.95 million capacity, an average of 34,746.

Just 44.9% was filled for five matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, the site of next year's World Cup final, and 50% at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, where the 1994 championship game was played.

Among other 2026 sites, 81.8% of capacity was filled in Miami Gardens, Florida, 61.6% in Philadelphia, 52% in Seattle and 44.3% in Atlanta.

FIFA issued a statement that said: "The appetite of the tournament speaks for itself: fans from 168 countries have already purchased tickets ... a clear sign of global anticipation and reach."

The 12 games televised with English commentary on TNT, TBS and truTV averaged 360,000 viewers through Monday, including 409,000 for seven matches on nights and weekends.