The new FIFA Club World Cup tournament begins with Inter Miami vs. Al Ahly, although tickets have not sold well.
\FIFA has made a last-minute adjustment ahead of the inaugural 32-team Club World Cup, which begins in the early hours of Sunday morning.
The redesigned tournament, which includes 12 clubs from Europe, six from South America, five from North and Central America, four from Asia and Africa, and one from Oceania, begins in the United States with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami against Egypt’s Al Ahly at Hard Rock Stadium.
Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan, Atletico Madrid, Chelsea, Borussia Dortmund, Porto, Juventus, Flamengo, River Plate, and Boca Juniors are among the big names taking part, but the buzz surrounding the first tournament of its kind has been muted, to say the least.
Despite Messi’s participation, tickets for the opening game at the Miami Dolphins’ 65,326-capacity NFL Stadium did not appear to sell well, and students at Miami Dade College were able to purchase five tickets for a mere $20 – a significant discount from the $349 required for the cheapest tickets when they went on sale in December.
What did FIFA do for the Club World Cup tournament?
According to Mike Keegan of the Daily Mail, FIFA has chosen to transfer people to various seats to make it appear more full on television.
The event is being aired on DAZN, which signed a $1 billion agreement for the rights.
According to the newspaper, some fans’ seats have been modified, with FIFA emphasizing that this is typical practice at events and that no supporters will be assigned seats that are less than what they paid for.
According to a seat map, tickets for a last-16 match at Charlotte, North Carolina’s 74,867 Bank of America Stadium sold well in one section but not the other.
According to The Athletic, FIFA’s stateside officials intended to emphasis on using smaller MLS stadiums for matchups, particularly with inferior clubs.
While they believed it would increase revenue and eliminate vacant seats, FIFA’s European office, under by president Gianni Infantino, disagreed.
Eight of the 12 venues picked have seating capacities of above 65,000, while only 12 of the 64 games will be played on MLS grounds.
Some supporters received partial refunds after paying more for tickets through the official club allocation when they went on sale.
The ultimate competition winner will get a new trophy designed by Tiffany & Co with Infantino’s name etched twice, as well as £93.5 million in prize money.
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