It was literally empty.

Chelsea defeated Los Angeles (LA) FC 2-0 in the first match of Group D of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia, on the 17th (Korean time).

Under the guidance of Coach Enzo Maresca, Chelsea started with a 4-2-1-3 formation. Noni Madueke, Nicolas Jackson, Pedro Neto, Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella, Levi Colwill, Tosin Adarabioyo, and Reece James started.

Given the significant gap in strength, Chelsea pressed from the beginning. Jackson, Madueke, and Palmer took consecutive shots, threatening the LAFC goal. If it hadn’t been for the veteran goalkeeper Hugo Lloris from Tottenham Hotspur's remarkable saves, it would not have been surprising if the 0-0 balance had been broken early.

Chelsea finally broke the deadlock. In the 34th minute of the first half, Jackson passed the ball to Neto in front of him. Neto maintained his speed to break through the right side, bypassed the defense, and scored. The first half ended with Chelsea leading 1-0.

Both teams made substitutions as the second half began. Chelsea replaced James and Lavia with Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez. LAFC brought on Giroud in the front line, aiming for an equalizer.

LAFC came out more aggressively compared to the first half and tried to gain momentum, but it wasn't enough. Giroud, who faced his former team for the first time in three years, also failed to make a significant impact. Chelsea's attacks, seeking an additional goal, were more threatening.

Eventually, Chelsea extended their lead to 2-0. In the 34th minute of the second half, Liam Delap broke through the right side, creating a crack in the defense, then crossed the ball high into the goal area. Enzo rushed in to finish off the opportunity, finding the back of the net. The match concluded with Chelsea winning by two goals.

Meanwhile, this tournament has expanded to include 32 teams, with total prize money reaching $1 billion (approximately 1.36 trillion won). Therefore, unlike in the past when the status was low, strong European teams are expected to engage in fierce competition. Chelsea will face Flamengo (Brazil) and Esperance Tunis (Tunisia) in turn in the group stage.

However, despite this, it continues to experience unprecedented marketing failures. The stands in the stadium, which has a capacity of 70,000, were strikingly empty. The officially announced attendance was 22,137. The stadium, which accommodates around 70,000, had its top tier closed, and more than half of the lower tier was empty.

But even that was not its actual attendance. The BBC reported that "tickets could be purchased online for £26 (approximately 48,000 won) during the match," and revealed that there was even a '1+4 ticket' campaign for students right before the tournament.

The biggest reason is the match time. The Chelsea-LAFC match was held at 3 p.m. local time on a weekday. For workers and students, this was an impossible time to attend. There are analyses suggesting it was scheduled for British TV broadcasts, but it only increased the disconnect with local fans.

Moreover, LAFC is not a hometown team of Atlanta and the travel distance is about 3,200 km. The fact that they hastily joined as a substitute team from Leon, Mexico right before the tournament was also insufficient to attract local fans.

Ticket prices were also a burden. On match day, the lowest ticket was £37 (approximately 68,000 won), and it was even more expensive in the early stages of the tournament. Doug Roberson of the Atlanta Journal stated, "It’s not that people are indifferent to soccer; they are just not familiar with this tournament and are saving their wallets for next year's World Cup."

The Philadelphia Inquirer analyzed that "FIFA pushed the tournament through without a local organizing committee, so it was completely disconnected from the community." BBC's Phil McNulty criticized that "this tournament has clearly highlighted the issues of FIFA forcing an already saturated season schedule to accommodate this event."

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