TA: FIFA spent more than $50 million to market the Club World Cup, and the European market responded in a cold manner

According to people familiar with the matter, FIFA has invested more than $50 million in marketing and promotion of the New World Cup held in the United States this summer, with an additional millions of dollars in budgets to increase attendance in the past month. This event, which was promoted by FIFA President Infantino, always faces organizational challenges in the preparation of the first 32 team expansion version.

FIFA announced last week that 12 venues and 11 host cities are expected to usher in a hot attendance and warm atmosphere, and declared that the event will eventually become the undisputed peak of club football. Its marketing investment obviously focuses on social media, and has invested heavily in hiring a large number of Instagram celebrities to promote, including hiring baseball reporters to explain football to Americans, inviting internet celebrities to discuss events, and even reaching leisure sports fans through food bloggers. Highway billboards in many cities are also expensive.

According to The Athletic, FIFA has taken unconventional measures to sell out tickets to this summer's tournament. These measures took effect in the opening game of Miami International led by Messi. When there were still tens of thousands of tickets in the first two weeks of the game, the ticket prices began to plummet. After the draw, the lowest ticket price of Ticketmaster platform in December last year was $349, and it was reduced to $55 after adopting dynamic pricing this month. FIFA also offers $20 special tickets to Miami Duade College, which has registered students of more than 100,000, and offers 4 free tickets. Discounts or tickets are also provided to veterans in multiple group matches.

This strategy made the opening match attract 60,927 spectators at 65,326 stadiums, but the performance of subsequent events was uneven. Bayern Munich's 10-0 Auckland City match was held at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati with 21,152 people attending the seats. Paris Saint-Germain's Sunday afternoon game against Atletico Madrid attracted 80,619 spectators to the Rose Bowl. However, the other two games on the same day were significantly empty. The 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium in New Jersey only entered 46,275 people to watch Palmeiras vs Porto, and the 68,740-seat Lumen Stadium in Seattle mainly relies on local spectators, with 30,151 people attending the seats. Even though the vacancy rate is high, it is reasonable for the reorganized event, the venue choice has caused controversy.

The Athletic disclosed on Saturday that FIFA has internal differences on the use of MLS professional stadiums and large NFL venues. The U.S. offices tend to choose small and medium-sized venues that are easy to sell out, while the European division influenced by Infantino insists on using more large venues to match the "Peak Showdown" event positioning. At the Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Chelsea's match against Los Angeles FC, the blockbuster empty seats were the most worrying. The 71,000-capacity stadium only recorded 22,137 spectators, and the cheapest ticket in weekday afternoons is still $52.

As the U.S. Customs and Immigration Enforcement confirms that it may be deployed on the event site, local market challenges are intensifying. The U.S. Customs and Border Protection said on Facebook that it would fully arm itself as security for the first round of the match, but deleted the post after senior FIFA negotiations. Previously, FIFA had difficulty getting positive reports in the European and American markets, and its publicity relied heavily on Infantino's Instagram roadshow. Mainstream media rarely contact this chairman. His interaction with internet celebrity iShowSpeed ​​(commonly known as "Hyperthyroid" in China) is the most prominent, and participating clubs and players also cooperate with publicity in digital form. According to the Creative Artist Brokerage, Speed’s interaction with Infantino was not paid.

The Athletic has reported that European clubs were considering withdrawing from the competition in the fall of 2024 due to unclear sponsorship, broadcasting and bonus distribution. The Premier League, La Liga and player organizations have also criticized or prosecuted, opposing schedule conflicts and additional load on players. Europe's cold attitude is confirmed in the data provided by FIFA. English, Spanish and Italian-speaking countries were not among the top ten in the event ticket sales. However, fans in Brazil, Argentina, Egypt and Tunisia were very enthusiastic, and a large number of fans from the two countries went to the United States to watch the game, and their expatriates created a warm atmosphere, especially in New York.

When the South American team went on a war, the video of fans' farewell was widely spread, and the tickets for the Boca Youth against Benfica in Miami were in short supply. FIFA also provided 20% off ticket purchase discounts for subsequent group matches through a large-screen QR code at MetLife Stadium. As Saudi-backed DAZN finalizes a $1 billion global broadcast agreement, broadcasters and bonus concerns have been alleviated. European giants will receive most of the participating shares, with the championship prize of up to US$125 million. FIFA expects that as European strong teams enter the knockout stage, it will inspire the US public's enthusiasm for consumption.

FIFA did not respond to a request for comment.

7M Sport