FIFA’s revamped 32-team Club World Cup debuts in the US this week, bringing top international clubs and players to American stadiums. However, concerns over player workloads, sluggish ticket sales, and pricing controversies have raised questions about the tournament’s reception and viability.

When the ball gets kicked off the center circle of Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium, the United States will go down in history as the first host of the most important soccer tournament created this century.

According to The Athletic, FIFA has resorted to slashing prices because ticket sales have been so lackluster. Last week, it was reported that the opening match had fewer than 20,000 tickets sold in the 65,000-seat stadium.

The tournament – designed as a glittering showcase ahead of the 2026 World Cup – has had to contend with the prospect of empty seats along with controversial qualification rules and player welfare concerns after an exhausting European season.

The amateurs from New Zealand will take on the might of Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors at the tournament in the United States

Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami face Egypt’s Al Ahly in the opening fixture of the June 14-July 13 tournament in Miami.

Forget economics, the current qualification path, derived from maths and complicated co-efficiency formulas, and not hinged on immediate form, holds the quality of the product as its biggest casualty.