With the newly expanded FIFA Club World Cup approaching, President Gianni Infantino addressed concerns over slow ticket sales while stressing the need for better communication with fans.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has brushed off worries regarding the sluggish ticket sales for the upcoming FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. Speaking at a promotional event at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Infantino emphasized that fans will show up once they understand the significance of the tournament.
"I'm not worried at all to fill a stadium when teams are coming to play a World Cup, to play for something real, not just an exhibition game where sometimes the second or third squads are fielded and so on," Infantino said. "This is a real game. This is a real competition. This is a real World Cup. It's the best players. It's the best teams coming."
FIFA Urged to Clarify Club World Cup Format
Infantino acknowledged that FIFA must do a better job of educating the public about the tournament’s purpose and value. The Club World Cup, traditionally a seven-team event, will undergo a major transformation in 2025, expanding to 32 clubs from around the globe.
"When people see what it is, then they realize that they have to come," Infantino said. "I was always told in the United States of America, you need to bring the best. Americans, they just want to see the best. They don't want to see average things. Well, the best are coming."
While ESPN wanted to inquire regarding recent sales of tickets, FIFA officials denied them with figures. However, Ticketmaster's listings say that for the tournament's opening match between Inter Miami and Egypt's Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium, the price at which the cheapest ticket goes is $356.80. More than 100 tickets are remaining in both upper and lower portions of the stadium.
FIFA Offers Incentives To Promote Interest
To boost the excitement even further, FIFA has unveiled special offerings whereby fans who buy tickets to the Club World Cup have the guaranteed option of purchasing tickets for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in the USA, Mexico, and Canada.
Where is the Club World Cup going in 2025?
Scheduled for June 14 - July 13, 2025, the FIFA Club World Cup will be played in and around 12 stadiums from 11 different host cities across the United States. Fans will be able to watch or stream all the matches on DAZN or TNT, while detailed scouting reports for all 32 competing teams will also be available on GOAL leading up to the tournament.
Though initial sales have helped to generate revenue, FIFA now banks on the amazing star power of this tournament and the chance for high-stakes international club competition to draw fans into a market starved for elite-level action.