FIFA Club World Cup has first sellout as Bayern Munich beats Boca Juniors in Miami
MIAMI GARDENS, FL – It took six days and 24 matches, but the FIFA Club World Cup finally secured its first sellout of the tournament.
A sea of singing and chanting fans clad in the yellow and blue of Argentine club Boca Juniors serenaded Hard Rock Stadium, while fans of German giants Bayern Munich, wearing red, were scattered among them on Friday night.
The official number: 63,587.
They got to see the first win by a European club against a South American side in the Club World Cup, too.
Michael Olise broke a deadlock in the 84th minute, English captain Harry Kane also scored (18') and Bayern beat Boca Juniors 2-1.
European soccer fans will wake up Saturday morning breathing a sigh of relief seeing the scoreline. CONMEBOL teams had won six matches with three draws and zero losses against UEFA clubs before the Bayern-Boca match.
Bayern has clinched a trip to the Club World Cup knockout stage, leading Group C with six points. Portuguese side Benfica is second with four points. Boca is in third with one point, while Auckland City (New Zealand) will be eliminated with zero points through two matches.
All four clubs play their final group-stage match Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET: Boca will meet Auckland in Nashville, while Bayern will face Benfica in Charlotte, North Carolina.
The biggest Club World Cup wins against the Europeans were by Brazilian teams. Flamengo beat Chelsea 3-1 in Philadelphia earlier Friday, while the biggest upset was Copa Libertadores winners Botafogo edging Champions League winners Paris Saint-Germain 1-0 in Los Angeles on Thursday.
Lionel Messi and Inter Miami scored the first victory for a North American club against a European side when they beat Portugal's FC Porto 2-1 on Thursday in Atlanta. Al-Hilal also became the first Arab and Asian team to score a point against a European side, when they drew 1-1 with Real Madrid in Miami on Wednesday.
Hard Rock Stadium has hosted three of the top four attended Club World Cup matches.
The Real Madrid match with Al-Hilal drew 62,415 fans. The tournament opener between Messi's Inter Miami and Egyptian club Al Ahly drew 60,927 fans last Saturday.
The most attended Club World Cup match was Paris Saint-Germain's 4-0 win against Atlético de Madrid at the Rose Bowl Stadium near Los Angeles.
FIFA said in a press release Thursday the first round of the group stage in the tournament (16 matches) yielded 556,369 fans.
FIFA has been criticized for empty seats at Club World Cup matches during the first week of the tournament. There's been debate over whether NFL-sized stadiums were the right choice for games instead of soccer-specific venues with lesser capacities.
Choosing Hard Rock Stadium instead of Inter Miami's Chase Stadium led to 114,412 more fans during the first three games held at the home of the NFL's Miami Dolphins. Three matches at the Rose Bowl near Los Angeles led to 108,629 more fans, than if matches were held at Los Angeles FC's BMO Stadium, FIFA shared with USA TODAY Sports.
It's also a stress test for the venues World Cup matches will be played at next year. Hard Rock Stadium, Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field, Seattle's Lumen Field and MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, are hosting Club World Cup and World Cup matches. SoFi Stadium – home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams and Chargers – will host World Cup games instead of the Rose Bowl.
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