The football governing body is confident that opening CWC fixture will be played before a full Hard Rock Stadium

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• Gianni Infantino guarantees that Club World Cup opener will sell out
• Ticket sales have underwhelmed in run up to tournament
• Inter Miami set to face Egypt's Al Ahly in first game

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  WHAT HAPPENED?

  Football's worldwide governing body has insisted that the opening game of their new flagship club tournament will be a sell out. Gianni Infantino, FIFA president, claimed that "the stadium will be full" and the atmosphere will be 'great' despite data suggesting that the game is struggling to draw attendees.

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• THE BIGGER PICTURE

  Miami were announced as co-hosts for the tournament in November 2024 after securing the Supporters' Shield, with Infantino asserting the club would be handed the rights to host the first game. The rest of their group stage fixtures, against Porto and then Palmeiras, are also currently short of selling out – despite the expected interest around the inclusion of Lionel Messi in the tournament.

• WHAT INFANTINO SAID

  Infantino outlined the expectations for the tournament in an interview with :

  "Yes, Hard Rock will be full. We will have a great atmosphere," he said. It will be historic. It'll be two historic teams for very different reasons. The stadium will be full. Well, as for every new venture that anyone tries to create in the world, you know, there are always discussions and you never really know what will happen

  "We were lucky enough… that we got great attention from sponsors and broadcasters so that when it comes to revenues, everything is perfectly secured. But I'm sure that all those who will come, and there are still tickets available, but many will go out these days."

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  WHAT NEXT FOR INTER MIAMI?

  The Herons face Al Ahly on Saturday, with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET. After that, they take on Porto on June 19 and Palmeiras on June 23.

Tags: Futebol
Category: News