Empty stadiums? Occupancy rate shows the reality of Club World Cup matches; see ranking

Despite bringing thousands of international fans to stadiums in the United States, the success of the FIFA Club World Cup in terms of attendance is still a matter of debate: even before kick-off, the world's top football body reduced ticket prices to fill the stands.

In the opening match of the World Cup, Inter Miami hosted Al-Ahly from Egypt at their home stadium, the Hard Rock Stadium. With a capacity for 65,000 people, the stadium where Lionel Messi and company's team played had the highest occupancy rate of the tournament so far: 64,767 fans -- 99.64% of its total capacity filled on Sunday the 15th.

Another crowd success was recorded in Paris Saint-Germain's 4-0 victory over Atlético de Madrid. The match, held at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, was watched closely by 80,619 fans, or 89.88% of the arena's total capacity, which can accommodate up to 89,700 people in its stands. It is the largest absolute attendance for a match in the tournament so far.

On the other hand, these attendances are not reflected in all World Cup matches. The lowest average attendance in relation to capacity, recorded in the first nine games, was that of Chelsea's 2-0 victory over Los Angeles FC from the USA: 22,137 people, equivalent to 31% of the total attendance at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which holds up to 71,000 fans.

The lowest absolute crowd was that of Bayern Munich's 'walk-around' against Auckland City : 21,152 people watched the Bavarian team 'run over' the New Zealand team 10-0 at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati -- despite being 'small', the crowd represents 81.3% of the arena's capacity, which holds up to 26,000 people.

Among Brazilians, Palmeiras ' debut leads in absolute attendance and average attendance in relation to capacity: in the goalless draw with Porto , from Portugal, 46,275 people were in the stands at MetLife Stadium, in New Jersey -- 56% of the stadium's total capacity , which can hold up to 82,500 people.

In a 2-1 win over the Seattle Souders at Lumen Field in Seattle on Sunday night, Botafogo was watched by 30,151 fans -- 43.8% of the stadium's capacity, which holds up to 68,700 fans.

Fluminense, in turn, had 34,736 people watching the 0-0 draw with Borussia Dortmund , from Germany, also at MetLife Stadium, this Tuesday, 17th -- 42% of the arena's capacity.

Still considering only Brazilians, Flamengo had the lowest average attendance in relation to the stadium's capacity: the Rubro-Negro's 2-0 victory against Espérance , from Tunisia, was watched by 25,797 fans at Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia, which represents 38.5% of the stadium's total capacity, which can hold up to 67,000 people.

Another considerable average is the attendance for the 2-2 draw between Boca Juniors, from Argentina, and Benfica , from Porto: 55,575 fans at MetLife Stadium, or 85.5% of the total capacity.

Overall, the average attendance in relation to stadium capacity for the first nine games of the FIFA Club World Cup is 63.07% . With the exception of the opening match, the highest average attendance is for games involving European or South American teams.

See below the % of attendance for the first World Cup games:

• 14/06 - Al Ahly 0 x 0 Inter Miami , Hard Rock Stadium: 64,767 (99.6% of capacity);
• 15/06 - Bayern 10 x 0 Auckland City , TQL Stadium: 21,152 (81.3% capacity);
• 15/06 - PSG 4 x 0 Atlético de Madrid , Rose Bowl: 80,619 (89.88% capacity);
• 15/06 - Palmeiras 0 x 0 Porto , MetLife Stadium: 46,275 (56% of capacity);
• 15/06 - Botafogo 2 x 1 Seattle Sounders , Lumen Field: 30,151 (43.8% of capacity);
• 16/06 - Chelsea 2 x 0 LAFC , Mercedes-Benz Stadium: 22,137 (31% capacity);
• 16/06 - Boca Juniors 2 x 2 Benfica , Hard Rock Stadium: 55,575 (85.5% of capacity);
• 16/06 - Flamengo 2 x 0 Espérance , Lincoln Financial Field: 25,797 (38.5% of capacity);
• 17/06 - Fluminense 0 x 0 Borussia Dortmund , MetLife Stadium: 34,736 (42% capacity);
• 17/06 - River Plate 2 x 0 Urawa Reds , Lumen Field: 11,974 (17.43% capacity);
• 17/06 - Ulsan 0 x 1 Mamelodi Sundowns , Inter&Co Stadium: 3,412 (13.38% capacity);