Chelsea started their club World Cup campaign for all glitter and glamor you would expect from a tournament in America … But very few fans were there to see it.
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia seemed to be determined to perform the opportunity when the Blues assumed Los Angeles on Monday.
Every Chelsea player received a long introduction, the sound of clocks as a result of the speakers. An enthusiastic announcer then gave a countdown of ten seconds to start with, apparently not deterred by the fact that there were huge parts of empty seats in the 71,000 capacity stadium.
Tickets for general admission were for sale for £ 38 and early estimates had the presence closed at around 26,000 with the entire top layer of the stadium.
FIFA has been worried about the presence for the tournament and had reduced tickets after a poor recording. However, before Chelsea's game, those present had been healthy.
Inter Miami's opening match of the tournament, with Lionel Messi de Sterattraction, attracted 60.927 for their game with Al Ahly.
More than 80,000 were in the Rose Bowl on Sunday to see the 4-0 victory of Paris-Saint Germain in Atletico Madrid. But the game in Atlanta apparently did not have the same attraction.
That is despite the fact that Atlanta is one of the football footballs.
This city is the home base of both the best supported football team of the MLS, Atlanta United, which on average 44,037 fans per match on average, together with the new home of American football, different teams, including the Mauricio Pochettino men's team and the Emma Hayes women's team.
Chelsea sold this stadium almost two years ago with more than 70,000 fans they watched at Newcastle in a friendly tournament called the Premier League Summer Series.
An explanation for the low presence can be the kick -off time of 3 p.m. on a working day – a timing that seems to have the European TV audience more in mind than the locals.
Fans were left on social media in the lack of support for the side of Enzo Maresca. One wrote on X: “Chelsea fans told me for years that they are big in America and North America, look at those empty seats.”
While another added: 'What nonsense is this announcing chelsea and lafc players individually on #fifaclubworldcup2025, Americans should stop trying to Americanize perfectly. If it is not broken … the stadium is painfully empty but a team from America plays. '