The Fierce Issue at the FIFA Club World Cup

Messi scores a masterpiece at the FIFA Club World Cup. Early morning on June 20, Messi shined to help Inter Miami defeat Porto 2-1 at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025™.

The expanded FIFA Club World Cup has endured a challenging first five days of play, with issues including empty stadiums, players complaining about harsh daytime temperatures, and multiple matches being postponed due to adverse weather.

This is worrying as the US is also one of the co-hosts of the 2026 World Cup, raising questions about the host country's ability to host in the future. According to statistics from ESPN , the opening matches at stadiums such as Hard Rock Stadium (Miami) and MetLife (New Jersey) were only filled to about 40-60% capacity, despite the presence of big names such as Lionel Messi (Inter Miami) and Manchester City.

The match between Palmeiras and Porto at the 82,500-seat MetLife attracted just 46,275 spectators (56.1%), while the match between Chelsea and Los Angeles FC at Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) saw empty seats with more than 50,000 empty seats. The match between Ulsan Hyundai FC and Mamelodi Sundowns on June 18 even had just over 600 spectators in attendance.

Another issue of concern is the high temperatures and high humidity in host cities such as Philadelphia and Pasadena, which players have complained about. “We are worried about the summer heat, especially when training is long,” said Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders.

The hot weather in America makes it difficult for the players.

Phil Foden also said the weather was causing him problems. Temperatures in Florida, where Manchester City are based, regularly exceed 32°C, forcing manager Pep Guardiola to hold training sessions lasting nearly two hours to help him adapt. Meanwhile, Atlético Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente, after a 4-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain at the Rose Bowl, complained: “It was so hot I couldn’t run, my toenails hurt.”

The weather disruptions have also been a nightmare for players and spectators. Matches in Cincinnati and Atlanta were interrupted by heavy rain and lightning, especially the two matches between Red Bull Salzburg and Pachuca (at TQL Stadium) and Palmeiras and Al Ahly (at MetLife Stadium).

When Red Bull Salzburg beat Pachuca 2-1 on June 19, the match was postponed in the 54th minute due to concerns about lightning and heavy rain. The match was not resumed until nearly two hours later. A day later, Palmeiras' match against Al Ahly was similarly postponed in the 61st minute due to concerns about lightning.

Source: https://znews.vn/van-de-gay-buc-xuc-o-fifa-club-world-cup-post1562361.html