Empty Seats Dominate Chelsea's Club World Cup Opener

Chelsea played LAFC before a sparsely filled stadium in Atlanta, with only 22,137 fans attending the 3pm Monday kickoff, sparking debate over tournament appeal and scheduling.

By Mukasa Shafik

June 17, 2025 at 4:23 AM

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Chelsea launched their FIFA Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC amid a stark backdrop of tens of thousands of empty seats at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The match kicked off at 3pm local time on a Monday workday, drawing an announced crowd of just 22,137 in a venue with a 71,000-seat capacity. FIFA had anticipated approximately 26,000 attendees.

The stadium's top tier remained entirely closed, while significant sections of the lower bowl appeared largely vacant. Ticket prices fluctuated significantly, dropping to around £26 during the match after earlier listings near £37. LAFC supporters, though fewer in number than Chelsea's contingent, provided the most audible atmosphere throughout the game.

Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca acknowledged the unusual environment:

"The stadium was almost empty... We are professional and we have to adapt. It doesn't matter if it's full or not."

The sparse attendance fuels questions about fan interest in FIFA's revamped tournament. Concerns intensified given the stark contrast to Chelsea's previous appearance at the venue two years prior, where over 70,000 spectators watched them face Newcastle. Journalists covering the event cited multiple contributing factors:

Scheduling conflicts with weekday work hours
High ticket pricing deemed unreasonable by analysts
Lack of established tradition for the newly formatted competition
Insufficient marketing efforts by tournament organizers

Doug Roberson of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution noted:

"People aren't here because it's Monday at 3pm... It's a tournament that doesn't mean a lot to people in the US because it's new."

Jonathan Tannenwald of the Philadelphia Inquirer added:

"FIFA needed to market this... You can't just expect people to turn up. That is on FIFA."

The match served as an operational test for the 2026 World Cup, raising concerns about potential fan engagement challenges for next summer's global tournament across North America. LAFC manager Steve Cherundolo offered a different perspective when questioned about the crowd size:

"I think it is different each game you look at. Maybe LA likes football more than Atlanta."

With multiple group stage matches scheduled during weekday afternoons through June 26th, FIFA faces mounting pressure to address attendance concerns for the remainder of the tournament.