Club World Cup 2025: Protests and empty stadiums - football dreams are shattered!

Club World Cup 2025: Protests and empty stadiums - football dreams are shattered!

In the United States, the soccer world has its eyes set on the Club World Cup, scheduled to begin on June 14, 2025. But the opening ceremony was anything but jubilant. Inter Miami, led by superstar Lionel Messi, drew 0-0 against Al-Ahly in their opening game in front of just 60,927 spectators at the 65,000-capacity Miami Dolphins stadium. Despite a dynamic pricing system that offered tickets starting at $20, seats were far from full. ovb-online.de reports that the Club World Cup is characterized by significant challenges, including sluggish ticket sales, security debates and massive protests.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino sees the Club World Cup as his prestige project and speaks of a “new era of football”. But the reality looks different. Ticket sales lead a miserable existence and many fans simply don't seem to be interested. The match between Palmeiras and FC Porto attracted only 46,200 spectators to the MetLife Stadium, which has a capacity of 82,500, and FC Bayern, who won the game against Auckland City with an impressive 10-0, only had 21,152 spectators in the stadium, which is designed for 26,000.

Protests and security debates

Parallel to the Club World Cup, massive protests against Donald Trump's immigration policy are taking place in the USA. Under the motto “No Kings”, over five million participants gathered in more than 2,100 cities. The situation is particularly tense in Los Angeles, where the tournament is being held. Security forces, including the National Guard and Marines, were deployed to control the protests. There were interesting clashes in which tear gas, stun grenades and rubber bullets were used. sport1.de emphasizes that the security situation not only affects the atmosphere of the tournament, but also affects ticket sales.

Trump himself describes the Club World Cup as “incredible” and emphasizes the importance of the tournament, which will also serve as a test run for the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Olympic Games. Despite his praise, the Club World Cup is being overshadowed by a wave of resistance. Not only on the streets, but also in the stadiums, fans are reacting: with banners suggesting the abolition of immigration authorities, and at the Los Angeles FC game, support for the immigrant community is clearly visible.

Financial difficulties

The financial side of the Club World Cup is also explosive. Gianni Infantino, who heavily promotes the event and has even toured with celebrities such as Hugh Jackman and DJ Khaled, has found himself under fire. Many in football complain that financing for the Club World Cup is not secure, and sueddeutsche.de reports on the difficulties of developing a sustainable model. In addition to the hoped-for income, ticket sales have fallen sharply - interest does not seem to have developed to the desired increase.

Overall, the Club World Cup shows that even large events can suffer from the mood of the spectators. Football has once again proven that it can survive even in stormy times, but whether spectators will soon show more interest and fill the stadiums remains to be seen. The challenges of the event are enormous and the coming days will show how the situation will develop. We can only hope that football will bring people together again and not drive them further apart.