2025 FIFA Club World Cup USA

Yes, a bit of a routing!

Sorry but when I saw Auckland playing Bayern I knew the outcome.

That's like my high school or college football team playing against the Green Bay Packers.

To me, this "championship" is just another money grab by FIFA.

We are waiting and hoping to get tickets to some of the World Cup games next year. My husband and daughter and nephew will go together. My husband follows every league game so I am sure he is watching it (he’s in Croatia visiting family till the end of June). Bonus points if there is a Croatian or Serbian on the team.

Not watching that game, but I am a football fan (though not of the US clubs that are playing).

Watching from between my interlaced fingers. This sort of match makes my stomach hurt! But then, I am a pathetic softie. :-)

And yes: footie fan! Love everything about the sport. It is sublime. We support Chelsea FC.

10-0 Munich broke the record for most goals scored.

Well, I’m mostly excited because it’s taking place in Cincinnati, my hometown. I haven’t been to the new stadium yet because I moved right before they built it, but I’ve been a huge fan of FC Cincinnati for years.

Congrats to Bayern Munich!

I'm going to the Seattle Sounders v Botafogo game this afternoon. Going with our daughters and 5 of their friends.

To me, this "championship" is just another money grab by FIFA

Heather, I agree with you. I'm not really a big soccer fan, but I'm excited to see Thomas Müller play again before he retires from FC Bayern. I can't imagine FC Bayern without him. However, they did mention on TV that he might play in the USA. We will see.

We are waiting and hoping to get tickets to some of the World Cup games next year.

Barbara, that sounds really good. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that you get tickets.

I am a pathetic softie

:-)

As a Chelsea FC fan, are you happy to see the captain of the England national team at a game? Or is it rather annoying that he plays for FCB? FCB fans love him very much.

Congrats to Bayern Munich!

Thanks Mardee. Cincinnati and Munich belong together.

For those who may not know, Cincinnati is Munich's sister city.

@ JC and CL
Let's see what kind of tournament this will be. Maybe there will be some exciting matches to watch.

My kids and grandkids are in Pasadena at the Rose Bowl stadium watching Paris and Madrid play. So excited to see the game in the US!

I was surprised to see this morning (UK time) that the Seattle matches are anything but sold out.
I was also surprised at how reasonably tickets were priced.
I know someone who is going, with guests from Argentina.

I’ve only been to one soccer game, a Real Madrid game in Spain. We went because Luka Modriċ was playing. Now that he is playing for the Croatian National Team and retired from Real Madrid. my hubby is hoping to see him play some more.
He’s been to many of his games in various cities.

I am an IRATE taxpayer that got stuck for the $30,000,000 bill to put grass on the Seahawks field because ...... I have no idea why the european soccer world needs grass.

Seahawk OTAs are more interesting than a soccer game.

Pasadena at the Rose Bowl stadium watching Paris and Madrid

That sounds like a really great game

Luka Modriċ was playing

He is a phenomenon and when I see him play I am always impressed

I am an IRATE taxpayer

What makes one person happy annoys another. But don't worry, I saw the report about the effort it took to rebuild the Munich soccer arena for a NFL game. I thought the same as you - completely unnecessary waste of money.

But I'm not even sure if the taxpayers will pay for all of this. And if they do, I think - like in ancient Rome - bread and circuses for the masses :-)

@ JC and CL
Let's see what kind of tournament this will be. Maybe there will be some exciting matches to watch.

I hope so however it's not going to be anywhere near the likes of the UEFA Champion's League. Besides, a lot of the matches are being played in the early hours of the morning for us Europeans.

I’m headed to a game here in Seattle on Thursday afternoon. Interestingly, after I purchased my ticket, I received an email update with terms and conditions stating that anyone who purchased a ticket package (defined as two or more tickets) would qualify for a guaranteed opportunity to buy a ticket for next year’s World Cup games.

Besides, a lot of the matches are being played in the early hours of the morning for us Europeans.

Yes, that's right. I definitely won't be watching the next FC Bayern game live :-)

would qualify for a guaranteed opportunity to buy a ticket for next year’s World Cup games

Wow this is really cool!

I haven't been to the US in a while, but I find it incredible how much passion for soccer has grown. I hadn't even noticed it. Yesterday, I went down the rabbit hole and could hardly believe how many FC Bayern fan clubs there are in the US/Canada alone. Wow! I knew there were many around the world, but the US/Canada have really caught up.

I thought the founding of the 'FC Bayern Red Ladies Fan Club' was really cool. The first female-only fan club founded in NYC. Women from all over the world have now joined. Things like that always touch me deeply.

Football has grown in popularity because it’s been heavily promoted - this tournament is the latest example. Top clubs are extremely wealthy but they all want more. Nobody wants to miss out of a potential American gold rush, which is why even smaller clubs all have some kind of presence there now as they try to build name recognition and a fan base.

How is everyone watching on TV? My only option is DAZN, it says it's free but the reviews are horrible if you don't pay for the ad free subscription.

Yesterday, I went down the rabbit hole and could hardly believe how
many FC Bayern fan clubs there are in the US/Canada alone. Wow! I knew
there were many around the world, but the US/Canada have really caught
up.

Many Europeans dismiss the MLS and NWSL out of hand, but there are avid and devoted soccer fans in the US that also root for their own clubs. My local Portland Timbers and Thorns have a spirited fan base and the matches are quite fun to attend - I've been told that the vibe feels like a European match. Americans might be behind the rest of he world coming to love soccer but I'm hoping the World Cup next year will get more people on board with the beautiful game.

Thanks Mardee. Cincinnati and Munich belong together. For those who may not know, Cincinnati is Munich's sister city.

This is true. Cincinnati also has the largest Oktoberfest in the world outside of Munich's.

I went to the Seattle game yesterday, the 15th. Stadium was about 60% full.

isn31c, when tickets initially went on sale, they were expensive. About a month ago, FIFA started dropping the prices of unsold tickets. Then 2 weeks ago the prices dropped drastically. Initial ticket purchasers asked for a refund of the price difference. Instead they got additional free tickets. My daughters gave those away. There may be ways to get refunds, but it requires too many hoops for someone who holds a job.

And 2 weeks ago, FIFA closed a quarter of the stadium to ticket sales. These are behind the TV cameras. We had folks in our section who got moved from there, high at the center of the field, to our end zone. They were not happy. FIFA considered our location as an upgrade.

The Sounders branded stores inside were not open for this event, which frustrated other folks who planned to buy jackets, hats or scarves for the night game.

Otherwise, it was a good game.

I went to the Seattle game yesterday, the 15th. Stadium was about 60% full.

Stadium capacity is 67k to 72k (https://stadium.org/lumen-field/stadium-features-facts/)

I saw that that attendance was reported at a bit over 30,100 ( at best 45% full)

Sounders regular season average is about 700 more per game than what the Sunday game drew.

I have no idea what ticket prices are for regular season games vs this tournament, so do not know if that could be a factor in what I suspect is to be considered a disappointing turnout.

The local newspaper has a report that the 'dynamic pricing' that fifa used had seats that originally sold for $150+ on sale a few days before the game at $62. I suspect they made no friends with those that bought early.

Is that typical in Europe?

The local newspaper has a report that the 'dynamic pricing' that fifa used had seats that originally sold for $150+ on sale a few days before the game at $62. I suspect they made no friends with those that bought early.
Is that typical in Europe?

Not to my knowledge but that's probably because games sell out incredibly quickly with season ticket holders and country/club supporter club members getting first dibs which typically results in most if not all available tickets being taken. It would be a hugely unpopular move if clubs implemented surge pricing on their supporter clubs. If there are any tickets available for general sale it usually means that the game does not have a high enough demand so it makes no sense to sell the remaining tickets at rip off prices.

Thank you Joe for the stadium capacity. My daughters thought the stadium held 57,000. From the goal zone, I couldn't see the density of seats on the sides facing the pitch.

When I looked at about 1am PT yesterday prices were about $55. Given that included tax and Ticket master commission the face value must have been around $45 or £35.
Even my bottom of the league's club on their way out of league football in the UK charge £26.
I can't imagine prices that low in the UK for such an event., let alone having apparently gone into freefall.
Hardly a commercial success.

I was reading an article in The Athletic that said when the tournament was first announced the lowest ticket prices would be $350. Another article said the stadiums are too big for the the quality of some games and some fans in upper tiers may be asked to move to lower seats and across from the cameras to make the stadiums appear fuller. The biggest focus though seems to be on the quality of fields in the stadiums where they've placed grass over artificial turf; Seattle, Atlanta and New Jersey to name three. The players are complaining that the fields are below acceptable standards. I guess it's a good trial run so they can fix the issues before next year.

There are a large number of empty seats at the Chelsea v LA game.

There are a large number of empty seats at the Chelsea v LA game.

22,000 people in a stadium designed for 71,000+ will look sparse.
The record attendance is 79K for a Peach Bowl ( a post season college football game)

Which begs the question "why hold this tournament"? They're playing games in stadiums that hold far more people than are likely to attend the match. How many Chelsea and LA fans are going to travel all the way to Atlanta just to watch a game that doesn't really hold any significance? It simply results in a poor atmosphere.

Wow, so many comments. Great.

So I have to watch the games on DAZN as well. OK for me, because some of the Bundesliga matches in Germany are broadcast live only on DAZN. So we (well, not me actually) have everything we need at home to watch the Bundesliga live…. Ja well

I'd also like to address what Helen wrote about 'Nobody wants to miss out on a potential American gold rush.' There are similar tendencies in German soccer, too, but fans are fiercely resisting commercialization. For example, FC Bayern, of course, has controversial sponsors, but there's no single investor who bought the club. But in the end, it's all about making money.

Yesterday, of course, we had the Borussia Dortmund (FC Bayern's arch enemy) vs. Fluminense FC game on. I didn't watch it, but I was an unwilling listener :-)

On Friday, FC Bayern Munich plays against CA Boca Juniors. So, I'll definitely be sleeping soundly, but I think parts of my family watch the game live at home. Well, what can you say when someone loves soccer and FC Bayern Munich so much...

Which begs the question "why hold this tournament"?

Dry run/rehearsal for hosting next year's soccer games?
i.e., give the venue cities practice at spending $30,000,000+ at putting sod over perfectly good artificial turf ( and having players claim 'it isn't good enough'); give fifa a gauge at how high they can price tickets and have enough people in the stands to make the place not look deserted.

I'm hoping to go to Seattle Sounders vs PSG game on Monday. Soccer is pretty popular here and surprisingly there are tickets to be had for most games. Most likely because we all know who will win the games (spoiler alert: not the Sounders.) But will be fun to watch! Looking forward to FIFA next year!

Most likely because we all know who will win the games (spoiler alert: not the Sounders.) But will be fun to watch!

I think that's great. Even if your own team doesn't have a realistic chance, you can still celebrate the winner of this year's European Champions League. The Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan in Munich was, according to my soccer pros here, a good match because PSG really pushed hard. And I gathered from the discussions that they were a young and very motivated team. Interesting, because without their former superstars, they certainly wanted to prove how good they were.

Just a little fact checking….. The 30 million to lay sod in the stadium that has been repeatedly referred to in this thread is not quite accurate. The stadium is overseen by a state agency. The legislature appropriated funds for updates to the stadium in preparation for the World Cup. In addition to the field, improvements to the stadium involve seating, lighting, security, restrooms, and parking.

Update: just home from the Seattle Sounders Atletico Madrid game which was played before over 51,000 people. It was fun and I so enjoyed seeing the talented Madrid team playing. To no one’s surprise they won 3-1.

The crowd was festive and appreciative of having this game on a beautiful sunny afternoon. No school today due to Juneteenth so lots of families enjoying time together.

It was fun and I so enjoyed seeing the talented Madrid team playing.

How nice that it was worth watching the game.

FC Bayern vs Boca Juniors 2:1. I'm sitting with a deliciously steaming morning coffee and watching the recap. That's more than enough. Even though Bayern won, they didn't have it easy against this team. But that's exactly what I expected.

About German non commercialized football. I went to a talk about German football and that’s still very true and why the Bayern Munich team is hated in Germany-due to a company sponsorship. But it’s also where you get the money. German leagues don’t have the money that the Premier League in the UK have and why overseas fans will rarely see a game on TV, while the Premier League signed contracts with many countries networks. Fox/NBC here.

Anyway of course the Argentinian team gave Bayern a fight. And I feel doubly sorry for Auckland who now have to face Boca. But it’s great to see such excitement in the US.

and why the Bayern Munich team is hated in Germany-due to a company sponsorship.

I don't know if this saying exists in English, but the literal translation would be 'Pity is given as a gift, but envy has to be earned'. Most teams and fans from other teams are annoyed that FC Bayern wins the German championship almost every year.
But I remember the annual meeting at FC Bayern some years ago (I wasn't there, but I read about it in the newspaper), where even the FCB fans were upset about Qatar Airways' sponsorship. The clubs that are most hated in the German league are those that have individual private sponsors (Red Bull Leipzig and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim for example). This regularly leads to fan protests in the stadiums. After all, FCB earns a large portion of its money from membership fees, TV rights, player sales, and, of course, from the victory bonuses.

Nice video from Feli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYfgg0WP-eo

Bye, FC Bayern. PSG is slowly becoming FCB's bogey team :-)