CWC Q&A: Are ticket sales rising? Do people care? - Solhekol answers questions

The FIFA Club World Cup is gathering pace after the opening round of group games. Here, our reporter Kaveh Solhekol answers some key questions from the US.

The new-look Club World Cup, which features 32 teams, started on June 14 with the final taking place on July 13.

The opening week has witnessed a 10-goal thumping, a dominant performance from Europe's champions PSG and mixed results for other European heavyweights. Some attendances have been very low but we have seen passionate fans on the streets and in the stands and Wednesday's game between Real Madrid and Al Hilal was outstanding entertainment.

Why are the attendances so low?

KAVEH SAYS: Despite images of thousands of empty seats at some games, FIFA is happy with attendances so far. The average attendance is almost 39,000 after 10 matches and that will rise significantly in the latter stages of the tournament.

It's not all doom and gloom. FIFA says it has already sold 1.5 million tickets and many games have been well attended. The opening game between Inter Miami and Al Ahly was almost sold out, PSG beat Atletico Madrid in Los Angeles in front of more than 80,000 fans and 55,574 people watched Boca Juniors draw with Benfica.

Of course, there have been too many empty seats at some games - especially Ulsan vs Mamelodi Sundowns and Chelsea vs Los Angeles FC - but FIFA is expecting a big crowd when Chelsea play Flamengo in Philadelphia on Friday.

A lot has been made about the ticket pricing for the matches? How has it been received in the host cities?

KAVEH SAYS: FIFA's dynamic ticketing policy has been controversial, but it has meant you can buy tickets relatively cheaply for some games. General admission tickets for Chelsea's opening game were $51 (£38) and they were only a few dollars more for Boca Juniors vs Benfica in Miami on Monday.

How accessible are the stadia at the tournament? Are they easy to get to? What is the infrastructure?

KAVEH SAYS: FIFA is using a mix of different sized stadia and the most impressive so far have been the ones used by the NFL. Those are also being used for the 2026 World Cup so this tournament is a useful dry run for next summer. One of the reasons FIFA likes hosting tournaments here - apart from the US being football's final frontier - is that the stadia and infrastructure are already in place.

Do the kick-off times feel like the right ones?

KAVEH SAYS: Games are kicking off as early as midday and that suits television audiences in the UK more than fans in the US.

The east coast here is five hours behind the UK so a 3pm local kick-off is 8pm in the UK - which is good news for broadcasters and fans watching on TV back home.

The disappointing 22,000 attendance for Chelsea's opening game in Atlanta is being blamed on the local kick-off time of 3pm on a Monday. Two years ago there were more than 70,000 inside the same stadium when Chelsea played Newcastle United in a pre-season friendly.

Which clubs are the most popular in the United States?

KAVEH SAYS: The Premier League is the most popular foreign league in the US but the biggest draw at this tournament are Real Madrid. They will play all their games in packed grounds and they create a big buzz wherever they play. It's all a far cry from former head coach Carlo Ancelotti's quickly retracted comments last summer that they would pull out of the tournament because they weren't being offered money by FIFA to play.

How much interest is there from US audiences in this type of football?

KAVEH SAYS: Lots of people say they are aware the Club World Cup is going on and games seem to be on live in lots of places like bars, restaurants, airports and even on flights. That doesn't mean that it's captured the imagination of the sporting public but coverage of it is not difficult to find if you are a soccer fan.

And for those fans, it feels special to have major clubs from all around the world playing competitive games in the US instead of just friendlies.

Could attendances be an issue in next summer's World Cup?

KAVEH SAYS: That's a possibility with the tournament expanding from 32 to 48 teams but don't forget Mexico and Canada are also co-hosting in 2026, so some of the extra games will be spread out across three countries.

The fact 16 more countries are playing in the World Cup makes it more likely that there will be some games with low attendees in the group stages.

Having said that, group-stage games at major tournaments don't always sell out and there have been disappointing attendances at some games at previous World Cups.

FIFA is confident attendances won't be an issue next summer and, who knows, if recent tournaments are anything to go by, the 2026 edition will end with some familiar voices claiming it's been the best World Cup ever.