FIFA Club World Cup 2025: Roundup of opening weekend and reaction to 'influencer nonsense'

16 June 2025, GRNDSTND, by Matt Hooper: The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 is underway, and wow can you hear the whingers whinge?! This first weekend of the new global celebration of club football has been a spectacular success, with two of Europe's giants getting off to a spectacular start, South America's champions winning their opening game, and thousands of fans from all over the world have lapped it up.

Matchday 1 and Matchday 2 facts and notables:

• 5 matches

• 10 clubs from Europe, Africa, South America, Australasia

• Total attendance of 239,124 (47,825 per match)

• Highest attendance 80,619 PSG v Atletico Madrid, Rose Bowl Pasadena California

• Lowest attendance 21,152 Bayern Munich v Auckland City, TQL Stadium Cincinnati Ohio

• 17 goals scored

• Two nil-nil draws

The opening game between Al Ahly and Inter Miami was an end-to-end contest which only remained goalless due to poor finishing and outstanding goalkeeping, more than 60,000 fans were inside the Hard Rock Stadium, and they were treated to an adequately short opening ceremony which hyped the crowd and appealed to the youth. Bayern Munich, as they should do, dismantled Auckland City 10-0 in a one-sided blowout. Already I have seen several TikTok 'influencers' rage-baiting audiences by mocking this clash between iconic Bayern, and the part-time minnows from New Zealand.

Firstly, anyone remember this season's UEFA Champions League, and PSG battering Brest 10-0 on aggregate? Or Arsenal going away to the Dutch Champions and smashing 7 goals past them? Remember that night Bayern blitzed Zagreb 9-2? Perhaps you remember Celtic beating Slovan Bratislava 5-1 before visiting Dortmund and lost 1-7? Blowouts happen, they have always happened and they will always happen.

Over the first three decades of the FIFA World Cup small nations regularly got smashed by the biggest nations on earth, including Germany crushing Saudi Arabia 8-0 (2002), both Semi-Finals in the first World Cup were 6-1 thrashings, Sweden 8-0 Cuba (1938), Uruguay 8-0 Bolivia (1950), Hungary 9-0 South Korea (1954), Türkiye 7-0 South Korea (1954), Uruguay 7-0 Scotland (1954), Yugoslavia 9-0 Zaire (1974), Poland 7-0 Haiti (1974), Argentina 6-0 Peru (1978), and Hungary 10-1 El Salvador (1982).

Minnows are seemingly allowed to play giants when it comes to the FA Cup, the romance of it is celebrated. So why on earth would it not be allowed at a FIFA Club World Cup? Auckland City should be allowed to take their place on the same stage as the likes of Bayern and Real Madrid, an anyone who says any different is arrogant.

Apparently the stadiums are empty too, according to the rage-baiters.

The average attendance of the first five games is 47,825, which puts it on a par with all of the biggest events in Football history, and competes with other major global sporting events including the Rugby World Cup.

Today Chelsea will make their bow in the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, as they play Los Angeles FC (8pm), followed by an exciting looking clash between Boca Juniors and Benfica (11pm) and Flamengo will look to get off to a flying start against Espérance de Tunisie (2am). All three matches are Live on DAZN, with Channel 5 also showing Chelsea v LA FC from 7pm tonight.

DAZN's coverage, as I expected, was excellent, but there were a few technical issues with the app which they need to address to retain and increase the audiences and potential future subscribers. The stream kept pausing throughout, meaning I had to close it down or use the 'go back to Live' button numerous times.

It was a wonderful weekend, and now the first Premier League team kicks off, I hope the momentum grows and the loud mouths get shot down by the stunning action on the pitch and the remarkable atmosphere in the stands. The rest of the world wants it, the sport needs it.