No One Asked for This: Club World Cup Kicks Off to Lukewarm Fan Interest

The FIFA Club World Cup may have kicked off in the United States this weekend, but fans around the world appear largely unmoved.

According to a new study from the football betting team at BoyleSports, global interest in the tournament has been underwhelming in the build-up to its 15 June start. Using Google Trends data, the study reveals that public attention around the Club World Cup barely registered compared to other major competitions.

The BoyleSports analysis team used Google Trends to track how the competition was performing online in the build-up to kick-off. Google Trends measures how often a term is searched, scoring it on a scale from 0 to 100. 

The Club World Cup scored below 1 for most of the year, only rising to 4 in the week leading up to kick-off. And it’s not expected to increase significantly during the tournament. In contrast, the Champions League hit 100 in September and routinely scored above 60 during the knockout rounds. Even the Europa League and Conference League outperformed it, peaking at 29 and 13, respectively.

Interestingly, even the UEFA Nations League – often criticised for its relevance – is expected to outperform the Club World Cup in online engagement. According to BoyleSports, the Nations League reached a peak score of 47 in early June 2025, with an average of 7 across the year. 

“It’s clear fans are hitting a saturation point,” said a BoyleSports spokesperson. “Despite the scale of this new format, most people simply aren’t paying attention.”

The lukewarm online interest translated into stark reality on the pitch. Chelsea’s opening match on Monday 16 June drew an official attendance of just 22,137 fans inside the 71,000-seater venue – leaving nearly three-quarters of the stadium empty. The sparse crowd provided a visual representation of the tournament’s struggle to capture public interest.

The muted reception comes amid growing backlash over the congested football calendar. England head coach Thomas Tuchel recently warned that the Club World Cup’s demands on Manchester City and Chelsea would hand a “huge advantage” to domestic rivals Liverpool and Arsenal.

Meanwhile, a new FIFPRO study, released just days before the tournament began, saw over 70 medical and performance experts call for urgent reforms. Among their recommendations: mandatory mid-season breaks, off-season rest, and limits on travel burdens.

“This study presents safety standards based on the considered and independent opinions of experts,” said Professor Dr Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s medical director. “If we can all agree that health comes first, we should take steps to implement these safeguards.”

The Club World Cup may have begun, but the data, and the experts, suggest the game itself may be reaching its breaking point.

Analysis of Global Interest in Major Football Competitions