“The group stage of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup has concluded and 48 of the tournament’s 63 matches have now taken place. The competition, which is being hosted in the United States, drew plenty of criticism in the build-up — including for how many games were being held in large, out-of-town stadiums in cities traditionally lacking in football (or soccer) fandom. So what have attendances actually been like? How many stadiums have come close to filling all of their seats? How have crowd sizes compared to the American-hosted 1994 men’s World Cup and previous Club World Cups? And which have been the most and least-watched teams and groups at the tournament? …”
NY Times/The Athletic