1 million empty seats have reportedly plagued the Club World Cup
The 2026 World Cup will descend upon North America next year, and FIFA will surely be hoping attendance is much stronger than the Club World Cup games taking place across the country this summer.
The Associated Press estimated that Club World Cup group games this year have tallied one million empty seats combined, which puts real questions on how attendance will look for the World Cup next year amid real questions about the impact of Donald Trump's presidency on the event.
CLUB WOE CUP: FIFA can blame its own arrogance for near-empty Club World Cup stadiums
"About [56.7-percent] of publicly listed capacity was filled for the 48 group stage matches, which included crowds of 3,412 and 6,730 in Orlando, Florida; 5,282 and 8,239 in Cincinnati," the AP report read. "FIFA did not provide specific capacities for the tournament despite repeated requests from The Associated Press.
"Total announced attendance was 1.67 million from 2.95 million capacity, an average of 34,746."
FIFA provided a statement to the AP, stating that "the appetite of the tournament speaks for itself: fans from 168 countries have already purchased tickets ... a clear sign of global anticipation and reach."
Even still, it's not an auspicious start to a huge year for soccer in the United Stated.
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