“A little strange”
50,000 empty places-Chelsea experiences fan doldrums at club World Cup
June 17, 2025 – 9:42 a.m.Reading time: 2 min.
In the victory of the English top team, the arena in Atlanta is not even filled with a third. One reason for the ghost backdrop was possibly also the unfavorable kick -off time.
Hardly any mood and appearance in front of almost empty ranks-Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca had probably not introduced the start of the club World Cup. Only around 22,000 spectators came to 2-0 victory against Los Angeles FC at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The arena offers space for more than 70,000 people. An unusual framework for Maresca.
“The whole environment was a bit strange. The stadium was almost empty,” said Maresca after the game, which was kicked off on Monday at 3 p.m. Despite the disappointing backdrop, he emphasized the professional appearance of his team: “We are professionals, we have to adapt to the situation. The behavior and attitude of the players are important. They have once again shown how professional they are.”
The opening game of the club World Cup already showed that there is another way: more than 60,000 fans saw Inter Miami with Lionel Messi against Al Aly on Saturday. Even more was a day later at the duel between Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid in Pasadena-over 80,000 spectators ensured an impressive atmosphere. Over 55,000 fans in Miami were there in the heated duel between the Boca Juniors and Benfica Lisbon (2-2) in the Bayern Group C.
Maresca had expected significantly more support for the Chelsea start-and is now relating to the second group game against Flamengo. “We have no doubt that the next game will be a nice. We know that the Brazilian teams always bring a lot of fans with them,” said the Chelsea coach.
Chelsea remained unimpressed: Pedro Neto put the English club in the lead in the 34th minute, Enzo Fernández made the decision in the 79th minute. With the success, Chelsea first sits at the top of the group D.