With low attendance, Club World Cup economic impact a draw for Atlanta

This summer, Mercedes-Benz Stadium has been one of 12 venues across 11 cities to host the 63 matches of the Club World Cup.

While the six Club World Cup matches held in Atlanta were not expected to draw international crowds on the scale of next year, some out-of-staters were expected to travel in for a chance to see crowd favorites such as Chelsea FC and Manchester City.

The first Club World Cup match at MBS, which featured Chelsea, had the worst soccer attendance the stadium has seen outside of the COVID-19 pandemic. Approximately 22,000 of the 71,000 seats were filled. Average attendance across the first four matches came in less than 40,000.

The Reverb Downtown Atlanta hotel, which sits across Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from the stadium, saw a significant increase in business from the matches so far.

“We have definitely had a huge difference, which is wonderful,” said sales manager Jacqueline Bassett.

MARTA ridership reflected this relative lack of attendance compared to an Atlanta United match. While a regular Atlanta United match averages about 17,000 individual round-trip MARTA riders, the four Club World Cup matches so far have ranged from about 5,500 to almost 11,700 individual riders, according to MARTA spokesperson Stephany Fisher.

Thousands of tickets — as low as $97 after prices were slashed because of lack of demand — were still for sale just two hours before the start of Atlanta’s second match between Inter Miami and FC Porto, featuring soccer superstar Lionel Messi.

In the days leading up to Atlanta’s first of two matches in the round of 16, the lowest price available was $160 per ticket. While that normally wouldn’t be considered a bad price for a matchup of this caliber — Paris Saint-Germain, the recent Champions League winners, versus Inter Miami — it was still a steep ask for trying to fill seats and overcome the attendance issues for an event FIFA spent $50 million promoting, according to The Athletic.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Some fans traveled for matches. The Atlanta Blues, Chelsea’s local fan club chapter, played host to events that saw visitors from Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, Philadelphia and even Chelsea’s home of England. Even the most loyal fans from the chapter, however, noted that the high ticket prices have contributed to low attendance at matches across the country.

According to an email from Delta Air Lines spokesperson Chelsea Wollerson, there was “nothing notable” in terms of ticket sales to Atlanta during the Club World Cup period.

Some restaurants in the vicinity of the stadium also said they have noticed a jump in business on match days. The Food Shoppe on Luckie Street has also noticed increased business, especially from out-of-towners, on match days, according to employee Monique Fortune.

But other restaurateurs, who declined to be named, said matchday crowds were a little disappointing.

“This is a new tournament, and we weren’t sure what to expect, but we are happy with the event, our guests are having a great experience that that’s what matters most to us,” Heather Sautter, vice president of corporate and marketing communications for Mercedes-Benz Stadium, said in an email to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Credit: Miguel Martinez-Jimenez

Before the first match Club World Cup match at MBS, William Pate, president and CEO of the Atlanta Convention & Visitors Bureau, said the following in a statement to the AJC: “The opportunity to host six FIFA Club World Cup matches over three weeks will drive incremental visitation during our typical summer business expectations and will increase the city’s international exposure among soccer fans across the world as we prepare to host next year’s FIFA World Cup.”