It’s interesting how time flies, as we’re already at the final stage of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup. To sum up the entire tournament, it has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride, with plenty of ups and downs. While the teams certainly didn’t disappoint on the pitch when it came to goals galore, one couldn’t help but feel that something was off in terms of popularity—or in other words, attendance—at this USA-hosted tournament. Yet, as surprising as it may sound, FIFA President Gianni Infantino seems to have quite a different story to tell.

How does a whopping $2 billion profit sound? Yes, you heard that right. But how is it even possible in the first place, when a lot of the Club World Cup matches had disappointing turnouts? Not to mention, some matches didn’t even surpass the current NWSL average attendance of over 11,000 fans per game.

But it is what it is, according to the apex authority of soccer, who admit there is no such word called ‘failed’ in the tournament’s dictionary. “We’ve generated revenue of more than $2bn. That’s $31m per game. No other club tournament comes close,” proudly remarked president Gianni Infantino on the CWC’s success, as compiled by Eurofoot on X.

A gentle reminder on this $2 billion profit that the entire tournament’s prize pool for all the clubs was itself $1 billion. Yet, coming back, this is quite a huge revelation from Gianni Infantino, especially after again recalling how the attendance situation had been in this entire month.

Take, for instance, the Group D opener between Chelsea and Los Angeles FC. Played at Atlanta’s massive 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium, the match drew just over 22,137 spectators. Viral photos even showed the entire upper tier closed off, with large swathes of empty seats elsewhere. And talk about irony, as just two years ago, Chelsea played Newcastle at this very same stadium during the Summer Series, and that game was a complete sellout with nearly 70,000 fans packing the stands.

Heck, even Atlanta United, who call this stadium home, usually draw around 44,000 fans per match. Sure, scheduling the game on a Monday at 3 p.m. probably didn’t help, but still, many couldn’t help but be alarmed. And if that’s not enough, a report from the Associated Press revealed that across the first 48 matches of the Club World Cup—spread over 11 U.S. cities—there were over a million empty seats combined, with overall attendance filling just about 57% of stadium capacity.

Another instance came during the semifinal clash between Chelsea and Fluminense, where FIFA slashed ticket prices due to sluggish sales, dropping them from $475 to just $13 within days. This even led Chelsea players like Enzo Fernandez to share Ticketmaster links on social media, urging fans to buy tickets.

Now, one could argue that the success of any tournament doesn’t solely hinge on a single factor like attendance. Still, dismissing attendance issue entirely didn’t seem like a wise choice either. But this U.S. city mayor hardly panicked. 

Club World Cup attendance is the least of concerns, apparently!

Even though the FIFA Club World Cup has received somewhat of a mixed reception throughout the tournament, many, like Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, didn’t find it frustrating. “The tournament has been a great opportunity to showcase our venues,” Dyer told reporters, per the Orlando Sentinel. “I think it’s another great example that we can host anything the world can bring us,” he added, noting how the country is steadily building its soccer fanbase ahead of co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Canada and Mexico.

Orlando’s 25,000-seat Inter&Co Stadium—home to Orlando City (MLS) and Orlando Pride (NWSL)—hosted two Club World Cup games that drew modest crowds of 3,412 and 6,730. Still, Dyer pointed to stronger turnouts at Camping World Stadium, where LAFC vs Flamengo brought in about 33,000 fans, and Manchester City vs Juventus drew over 54,000. Hosting Pep Guardiola’s side was especially beneficial; their round of 16 match against Al Hilal, despite ending in a 4-3 loss, attracted 42,311 spectators. “Having Manchester City for two consecutive games, I think, is helpful for our crowds,” Dyer said, clearly pleased.

So there hardly seems to be an issue regarding attendance. Regardless, the talking is how FIFA eventually managed to call it a good payday despite such concerns!