Chelsea kicked off their Club World Cup journey with all the glitz and glam you'd expect from a tournament in the States... but, honestly, where were all the fans?
The Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, was decked out for the occasion as the Blues faced off against Los Angeles on Monday.
But guess what? Only 22,137 people showed up. Yeah, that's right. With general admission tickets going for £38, there just wasn’t enough buzz to keep the entire upper tier of the stadium open.
FIFA's been sweating over attendance numbers lately, and they even slashed ticket prices after some pretty poor interest. Yet, before Chelsea's match, things were looking decent. Just look at Inter Miami’s opener—Lionel Messi drew a crowd of 60,927 against Al Ahly!
And let’s not forget the Rose Bowl, where over 80,000 fans packed in to watch Paris Saint-Germain’s 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid. Yet, for some reason, the game in Atlanta just didn’t grab people’s attention.
It’s surprising, especially since Atlanta’s a known hotbed for football. This city boasts Atlanta United, the MLS team with the highest average attendance—about 44,037 fans per match. Plus, it’s the new home for various US Soccer teams, including Mauricio Pochettino’s men's squad and Emma Hayes’s women's team.
Two years back, Chelsea nearly filled the stadium with over 70,000 fans for a friendly against Newcastle in the Premier League Summer Series.
So, what gives? One reason for the sparse crowd might be the 3 PM kickoff on a weekday—definitely more suited for European TV viewers than the locals.
Things got a bit ridiculous too, when the second half had to be paused for five minutes because LA wanted to sub in veteran forward Olivier Giroud—who, uh, wasn’t wearing a shirt at the time. The game finally got back on track once Giroud found something to put on.
As for the team, they’re focused on bouncing back. “We have to recover. We have a game in three days, so we’ll see. We’re going to prepare the best we can and definitely aim to win,” said one of the players.
Former Tottenham keeper Hugo Lloris had to step up early on, stopping a shot from Nicolas Jackson, who had a tight angle inside the box.
Chelsea was controlling the ball, pushing LAFC back toward their goal. Jackson found Noni Madueke, who forced another save from Lloris.
And then there’s Delap, who couldn’t hide his excitement: “It’s a really happy feeling for me. I’m thrilled to be here, to play my first game, and to contribute. The team has welcomed me so well. I’ve only had a few training sessions, but I’m looking forward to more!”
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