Chelsea's manager, Enzo Maresca, has voiced his surprise at the sparse attendance during their Club World Cup match against Los Angeles FC (LAFC) at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The game, which Chelsea won 2-0, took place in front of a stadium that was noticeably underfilled, leading Maresca to describe the atmosphere as "strange."

The 71,000-capacity Mercedes-Benz Stadium saw only 22,137 fans turn out for the match. Maresca told reporters, "The environment was a bit strange, the stadium was almost empty, not full." He acknowledged the need for the team to adapt, adding, "We are professional, we have to adapt to the situation, to the environment... It's important the behavior of the players, the attitude, and once again they showed how professional they are."

The Chelsea coach expressed that the team had anticipated a larger crowd and hoped for better attendance in their subsequent game against Flamengo in Philadelphia. "We prepared this game also thinking that the environment was a bit different, but no doubt that the next one will be a nice one, because we know that the Brazilian teams, they always bring many, many fans," he stated.

Steve Cherundolo, the coach of LAFC, also commented on the attendance. "I think it is different each game you look at," he said. "In the Rose Bowl in LA, there was a huge crowd for the game between PSG and Atletico Madrid. Maybe LA likes football more than Atlanta, I don't know, we should judge at the end."

Other matches in the tournament have seen varying levels of attendance. The opening match between Inter Miami and Al Ahly drew a crowd of over 60,000. Meanwhile, the match between Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid at the Rose Bowl attracted over 80,000 fans. In contrast, the game between Palmeiras and FC Porto at MetLife Stadium had an attendance of just over 46,000, and Bayern Munich's match against Auckland City in Cincinnati saw only around 21,000 attendees.

Several factors may have contributed to the lower attendance at the Chelsea vs. LAFC game. The match was held at 3 p.m. on a Monday, which is a typical workday. The Mercedes-Benz Stadium has hosted Chelsea before, with a pre-season match against Newcastle in July 2023 drawing a capacity crowd.

The expanded format of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, featuring 32 teams, is being held in the United States from June 14 to July 13, 2025. The teams are divided into eight groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the knockout stage. The tournament is taking place in 12 venues across 11 cities in the USA.

Thomas Tuchel, the England head coach, has suggested that the Club World Cup's demands on teams like Chelsea and Manchester City could give Liverpool and Arsenal an advantage in the Premier League title race, as those teams will not be participating in the tournament. He believes the fatigue from the tournament could affect the participating teams in the upcoming season.