Club World Cup in crisis? FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s еight-word response about Lionel Messi’s opener crowd worries ends debate

The FIFA Club World Cup, reimagined for 2025 with an ambitious 32-team format, was meant to be a historic celebration of global club soccer. But as the countdown to kickoff continues, the opening match — featuring Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami against Egyptian giants Al-Ahly — has sparked controversy for reasons far removed from the pitch.

The spotlight should have been on the star power of Messi, the tournament’s growth into a World Cup-style format, and the inclusion of champions from every confederation. Instead, FIFA is scrambling to deal with questions over sluggish ticket sales, drastically fluctuating prices, and fears of a less-than-packed Hard Rock Stadium in Miami.

At the heart of the debate is one lingering question: Will the fans show up?

Ticket trouble and discount dramas

Various reports suggested that fewer than 20,000 tickets had been sold for the opener at a venue that can seat over 65,000 fans. While FIFA officially denied this figure, they offered no alternative data, fueling further speculation.

According to The Athletic, ticket prices have plummeted from $230 in January to just $55, and yet thousands of seats remain unsold. FIFA’s response has included some unconventional moves. Most notably, they partnered with Miami Dade College, offering students a steep discount: buy one ticket, get four more free. That brings the effective price per seat to just $4, a symbolic amount to see one of the sport’s all-time greats.

“When purchasing this ticket, the student is entitled to four additional tickets for free,” reported The Athletic. The deal was sent to over 100,000 students, and proof of enrollment was required to claim the offer. Critics have slammed this strategy as a desperate attempt to save face, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino sees it differently.

Infantino’s eight-word clarification

In an interview with AFP, Infantino finally addressed the concerns, offering an eight-word clarification that has since become a rallying cry for the organization: “I believe the stadiums will be pretty full.”

While he didn’t cite specific sales figures, Infantino emphasized optimism and pushed back at criticism of the ticketing strategy. “They criticise FIFA if the prices are too high, then they criticise FIFA if the prices are too low. Then they criticise FIFA if we make ticketing promotions with students,” he said. “Students! I mean, when I was a student and I didn’t have money, I would have loved FIFA to come to me and say, ‘You want to come and watch a World Cup match?’”

The Club World Cup, Infantino added, is about more than just revenue or optics. “It starts a new era of soccer, a new era of club soccer,” he said, comparing the 2025 tournament to the very first FIFA World Cup in 1930. “Everyone today speaks about the very first World Cup. That’s why this one here is historic.”