From $473 to $13: FIFA slashes Club World Cup ticket price ahead of Chelsea-Fluminense clash
ticket prices
for the Club World Cup semifinal between Chelsea and Fluminense to just $13.40 — down from a staggering $473.90 — for Tuesday's clash at
MetLife Stadium
in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
The drastic markdown comes amid widespread reports of sparse crowds across most fixtures in the expanded 32-team tournament. While FIFA has employed a
dynamic pricing
model throughout the competition, this marks the most significant price drop for a marquee knockout fixture yet.
Standard tickets for Wednesday's other semifinal — a blockbuster between European giants Paris Saint-Germain and
Real Madrid
— remain far more expensive, starting at $199.60.
But it's the Chelsea-Fluminense game that has raised eyebrows, not just for the pricing gap, but for what it reveals about demand and attendance patterns in the US-hosted event.
Only Real Madrid drawing crowds; FIFA hopes cheaper tickets will help
FIFA had earlier cut quarterfinal ticket prices to as low as $11.15, including Chelsea's win over Palmeiras in Philadelphia and Fluminense's victory over Al Hilal in Orlando. The Athletic was the first to report on the slashed rates for the semifinals.
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Despite its global brand, Chelsea has struggled to fill stadiums during the tournament.
Real Madrid has been the lone exception, regularly drawing over 60,000 fans, including a tournament-high 76,611 for their quarterfinal clash with Borussia Dortmund.
Chelsea edge Palmeiras to set up Brazil showdown
Chelsea booked their place in the semifinal with a narrow 2-1 win over Palmeiras, thanks to an 83rd-minute own goal off a deflected Malo Gusto shot. Cole Palmer had earlier opened the scoring, while Estêvão — an 18-year-old Palmeiras prodigy set to join Chelsea this summer — briefly equalized.
Tuesday's match against Fluminense now gives the London club a shot at reaching the final, although they'll be without key players Liam Delap and Levi Colwill due to suspension, and possibly captain Reece James, who missed the quarterfinal with injury.
With ticket prices now more accessible, FIFA will be hoping for a stronger turnout at the 82,500-seat MetLife — and a semifinal that lives up to its billing.
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