Chelsea manager, Enzo Maresca, has described the atmosphere during his side’s 2-0 win over LAFC in the Club World Cup as “strange,” pointing to the sparse crowd at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium as a factor.
The match, held on Monday afternoon in the United States, drew just 22,137 fans to the 71,000-capacity venue.
Despite ticket prices being reduced, with general admission going for $51 on matchday, turnout remained low.
This was particularly surprising given that the host city’s MLS club, Atlanta United, boasts the league’s highest average attendance, attracting nearly 47,000 fans per game in 2024.
Multiple sections in the lower bowl appeared almost empty, some holding fewer than 100 spectators, raising ongoing concerns about fan engagement and ticket sales at this year’s tournament. Attendance figures have varied depending on the match location.
“I think the environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full,” Maresca admitted.
“We are professional and we have to adapt to the situation, to the environment. You have to adapt when you play with a full stadium. You have to adapt when the stadium is not full but it doesn’t matter.”
The relatively low turnout may also be attributed to geography, with LAFC’s home base in Los Angeles located over 3,200 kilometers (about 2,000 miles) from Atlanta.
LAFC boss Steve Cherundolo, speaking after the defeat, was unsure whether the low attendance was due to the matchup itself or regional interest, but said the discussion was premature.
He said the event is incredible but with crowds, “it’s kind of different each game you look at and I don’t think we should be talking about this right now. I think we should wait until the end of the tournament to make a more complete summary of what was going on and opinion of it as a whole as opposed to right now and one game.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea’s newly signed forward Liam Delap wasted no time making an impression. Signed from Ipswich Town for around £30 million ($40.73 million) on a six-year contract, the 22-year-old assisted Enzo Fernández for the team’s second goal.
Maresca said he’s eager to see how the club’s current striker Nicolas Jackson will respond to the competition posed by Delap.
“I am curious to see how Nico reacts [to Delap],” Maresca said. “He competed with Guiu, who is very young, during the season. They are both good number nines.”
Chelsea currently sit level with Flamengo at the top of their group, after the Brazilian club also secured a 2-0 victory against Esperance de Tunis.
