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Olley: Club World Cup would beryllium amended arsenic a 16-team tourney (1:41)
On "The Football Reporters" podcast, James Olley shares his frustrations with the Club World Cup tourney arsenic it presently exists. (1:41)
Associated Press
Jun 28, 2025, 11:46 AM ET
The Club World Cup radical signifier saw a cardinal bare seats successful the stands implicit the 48 games successful the tourney truthful far, a twelvemonth earlier the United States hosts the 2026 World Cup.
Nine teams that precocious to the circular of 16 are from Europe. Four are from Brazil and 1 each from Major League Soccer, Mexico and Saudi Arabia.
About 56.7% of publically listed capableness was filled for the 48 radical signifier matches, which included crowds of 3,412 and 6,730 successful Orlando, Florida; 5,282 and 8,239 successful Cincinnati. FIFA did not supply circumstantial capacities for the tourney contempt repeated requests from The Associated Press.
Total announced attendance was 1.67 cardinal from 2.95 cardinal capacity, an mean of 34,746.
Just 44.9% was filled for 5 matches astatine MetLife Stadium successful East Rutherford, New Jersey, the tract of adjacent year's World Cup final, and 50% astatine the Rose Bowl successful Pasadena, California, wherever the 1994 title crippled was played.
Among different 2026 sites, 81.8% of capableness was filled successful Miami Gardens, Florida, 61.6% successful Philadelphia, 52% successful Seattle and 44.3% successful Atlanta.
FIFA issued a connection that said: "The appetite of the tourney speaks for itself: fans from 168 countries person already purchased tickets ... a wide motion of planetary anticipation and reach."
The 12 games televised with English commentary connected TNT, TBS and truTV averaged 360,000 viewers done Monday, including 409,000 for 7 matches connected nights and weekends.
