Empty Seats at the Club World Cup: A Problem of Perception, Not Passion

If there’s one thing to take away from the Club World Cup so far, it’s that photos of empty stadium seats have stirred disproportionate outrage. Despite many games having visible gaps in attendance, particularly just before kickoff, the reaction online has been intense – with people using these images to criticize everything from American soccer culture to the tournament itself.

But why do empty seats bother us so much? They don’t directly affect fans – we’re not losing money from unsold tickets, overpriced food stalls, or poor merchandise sales. The real issue seems to be emotional: people feel let down by FIFA’s bold promises about a world-class event and packed stadiums. When reality falls short, it sparks cynicism and mockery.

The deeper frustration may lie in what the empty seats appear to represent: that FIFA prioritizes commercial deals – like TV rights and partnerships with state investors – over genuine fan experience. Despite the talk of passion and global celebration, the visuals tell another story.

Still, it’s important to remember the context. Yes, average stadium attendance has hovered around 52%, with a median closer to 43%. That’s not ideal. But many of these games are being held in oversized stadiums – some built for NFL crowds – making even solid attendance numbers look poor. This isn’t a new problem. Major League Soccer faced the same challenges early on, before transitioning to smaller, soccer-specific stadiums that better matched actual turnout.

Other factors have also impacted attendance: strict visa policies, fear of immigration raids, weekday match schedules, and expensive tickets. For many fans – especially from overseas – just getting to the game was a struggle. Yet people still came. For instance, over 22,000 showed up for Chelsea vs. LAFC in Atlanta on a Monday afternoon. Seen one way, that’s a mostly empty stadium. Seen another, it’s a strong turnout for a new tournament with low stakes and high hurdles.

Later that day, almost 35,000 fans watched Flamengo vs. Esperance in Philadelphia, and more than 40,000 turned up for Monterrey vs. Inter at the Rose Bowl. These numbers may not meet FIFA’s hype, but they’re far from failures. In fact, they’re signs of real enthusiasm in the face of poor planning.

Ultimately, the obsession with crowd size is more about FIFA’s inability to set realistic expectations. The World Cup, with its national pride and global stakes, carries a unique kind of weight. Club football, even at its most elite level, is rooted in week-to-week loyalty and smaller communities. It simply doesn’t fit FIFA’s grand, theatrical style.

So maybe the empty seats are less a sign of failure and more a reminder: club football is a different kind of passion – and not every tournament needs to be sold as the biggest in history.