Chelsea vs LA FC: A Quiet Start to the Club World Cup

Chelsea launched their FIFA Club World Cup campaign against Los Angeles FC in front of a sparse crowd in Atlanta. The match, held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, began at 3 PM local time on a typical working Monday. Although the stadium can accommodate 71,000 fans, only 22,137 were in attendance, with the entire upper tier closed. The BBC had anticipated around 26,000 attendees, but the sparse crowd fell short of those expectations. While a small middle tier appeared mostly occupied, the larger lower tier was significantly void of spectators.

Initially, the least expensive tickets were priced at approximately £37, dropping down to £26 online as the match commenced, with numerous options available in nearly all sections. This could be attributed to the distance, as Los Angeles is over 2,000 miles away from Atlanta across the southern United States. Despite LAFC’s 150 ultras creating a lively atmosphere, Chelsea, with a much larger fan base, only came alive during their team’s goals, Liam Delap’s debut, and controversial decisions that favored boos over cheers.

Seen as a preliminary event for the upcoming international World Cup scheduled for next summer across the USA, Canada, and Mexico, this newly expanded Club World Cup is currently hosted solely in the United States. As a rehearsal for the global spectacle, it provides insights into what the grand event next year could look like.