America's tourism is collapsing

[hatrack]

27. Club World Cup tickets now cut to $20 - 50,000 empty seats in Atlanta for Chelsea/LAFC match

Womp womp. Strangely enough, the article below doesn't mention ICE or Trump's bullshit, or fears of mass arrests. Huh. I wonder why.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino boldly dubbed the 2025 Club World Cup “epic,” yet the tournament’s launch paints a starkly different picture. Chelsea’s 2-0 victory over LAFC in Atlanta saw 50,000 empty seats haunting the 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Ticket sales have plummeted, exposing a troubling lack of public interest per BBC.com.

This isn’t the spectacle FIFA envisioned. Reports confirm fewer than 25,000 tickets sold for the opener featuring Inter Miami and Al-Ahly, despite slashed prices to as low as $20 with up to four free tickets offered per TheAthleticFC. Fans aren’t biting, and the empty stands scream apathy.

EDIT

Ticket sales tell a grim story. FIFA’s desperate price cuts, some as low as $10 for premium matches, haven’t moved the needle. Hard Rock Stadium’s opener with Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami faces similar fears of sparse crowds.

Public disengagement is palpable. Social media buzz on X reveals fans mocking the empty seats, with some calling it “FIFA’s flop of the century.” The contrast between Infantino’s hype and reality stings. The tournament’s format isn’t the only issue. Hosting matches in the U.S., far from many clubs’ fanbases, alienates supporters. Travel costs and lukewarm interest in non-local teams don’t help.

EDIT

https://sports.yahoo.com/article/fifa-club-world-cup-epic-175726545.html