In a clash between South America and Europe, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup kicked off its stay at MetLife Stadium on Sunday in front of 46,725 fans. Brazilian power SE Palmeiras and Portuguese side FC Porto played to a 0-0 draw in the Group Stage match.
Exciting, but scoreless
First, the bad news: Neither Palmeiras nor Porto scored a goal at MetLife on Sunday evening. Now, the worse news: No team in Group A scored at all in the first round after Egyptian side Al Ahly and Inter Miami CF played to a nil-nil result on Saturday to kick off the Club World Cup.
The good news: Both of the teams at MetLife on Sunday had standout players who looked good despite navigating a much-criticized pitch (more on that later).
Porto goalkeeper Cláudio Ramos is usually a second - or third-string player behind regular starters such as national team star Diogo Costa. However, Ramos in only his 31st appearance with the team across all competitions since 2020, was spectacular on Sunday.
His shining moment came in first-half stoppage time as Palmeiras played a ball into the box. Estêvão attempted to redirect the ball from point-blank range, but Ramos blocked it. Attacking midfielder Maurício locked onto the loose ball and tried to slam a shot home, but a still-grounded Ramos jumped up for a second straight block. The still loose ball was still in the area. This time though, midfielder Francisco Moura was the one to step up as he cleared a Richard Ríos shot from the line.
Palmeiras 0-0 Porto | Cláudio Ramos save
Palmeiras winger Estêvão Willian also stood out. It was a big moment for him considering that the player signed a deal with English Premier League side Chelsea last June to join after he turned 18. That happened this past April, which means the Brazilian will be heading to England following the conclusion of this tournament.
He came close to scoring two times in his 90-minute on the field. A fifth-minute attempt just missed the top corner, then his first-half stoppage-time shot from close range was saved by Ramos. Head coach Abel Ferreira substituted the young player off not long into the second half, but the performance, which also included decent build-up play for Palmeiras as the game went on, earned him Player of the Match honors.
Finally, Porto’s Samu Omorodion was a fun watch. The 6 '4' Spanish forward made easy work of the left side of the field in the early game against Palmeiras. He played the full match, and his 34th-minute attempt accounted for one of the more dangerous end-line attempts at goal you’ll ever see.
Bad pitch
It should be noted that while the game was enjoyable, both teams looked hampered at times by the field. It wasn’t just because of the conditions: Both head coaches and Estêvão criticized the surface at MetLife following the match.
“In the beginning, the pitch was dry. I don’t know who is the patron saint for rain but after it rained it then enabled us to play our game,” Palmeiras head coach Abel Ferreira said after the match. Porto head coach Martin Anselmi shared similar views on a field that has been maligned across soccer and American football.
This isn’t a new topic.
Last year’s Copa America tournament brought this to light, especially in the second group-stage game between Uruguay and Bolivia. The chewed-up sod was the main talking point after the 5-0 route and concerns over how the field would perform in future tournaments were talked about.
Michael Battista
“I think the pitch should have been watered a little more as the ball was a little slow which interferes with the pace of the game,” Estevao told media during his presser. “It was both for ourselves and for Porto. As the game went on, it rained which made it roll a bit faster.”
For a stadium that is set to host nine games in the Club World Cup, including the final, and eight in next year’s regular World Cup, including the final, this isn’t a good look.
Palmeiras take over MetLife
Officially, Sunday’s attendance at MetLife was 46,275. From the view in the press box, around 85% of the crowd was wearing some form of Palmeiras green.
The entire northwest end of the stadium’s lower bowl, encompassing five sections, was nearly sold out and filled almost entirely with Verdão supporters (though there were a few brave Porto fans in that mix). The section was constantly in motion, with flags and banners held high. There was even the brief appearance of a tifo during the early stages of the second half.
Unsurprisingly a lot of Palmeiras fans here. Porto fans & neutrals…less so. About 35mins from kick.
— Alexander Abnos (@anabnos.com) 2025-06-15T21:25:04.479Z
This was compared to the single section of Porto fans concentrated on the opposite side of the field. Yes, they also had banners, but their chanting was drastically overwhelmed by the sea of green at MetLife.
However, it was hard to ignore that the stadium was still empty in places. The lower bowl of the stadium was mostly filled, but the upper decks at each end were bare, and the 200 level had sections of empty seats. Overall pulling in more than 45,000 fans is a great accomplishment for a group-stage game, but it still left more than 35,000 seats empty, and gave MetLife a bad look.
Palmeiras head coach Abel Ferreira said as much after the game.
“The issue is the stadium is huge. Forty-six thousand is a big number but maybe they could have closed the third ring and placed everyone in the first and second (to bring it closer). But with the amount of Palmeiras fans, it was like we were playing at home and this was a strength for Palmeiras. The stadium is too big but 46,000 is very good when people from Brazil and Portugal had to come and fly in and it’s not so easy to do that.”
The team’s home stadium, Allianz Parque, in São Paulo, Brazil holds just under 44,000: This game would be a sellout in their home. It felt like a home game for them in every regard.
Compared to last year’s Copa America, the crowd felt smaller. In fact, it was nearly half as small as either the group stage match or the semifinal that was played there. The stadium never felt like it was shaking, which might have come because of the lack of goals.
Brazil showed up
Despite the scoreline and the empty seats, the stadium was alive with energy.
Going into this game, it looked like Newark’s Portuguese population was going to be the difference maker. FC Porto president André Villas-Boas said as much at Saturday's Men in Blazers event in New York City.
FC Porto president André Villas-Boas takes the stage. Won’t give a play by play of what he says but he’s excited to play in this area. Calls Portugal the home of explorers and shouts out the high number of Portuguese in New Jersey. #FCPorto #FIFACWC @meninblazers.bsky.social
— Michael Battista (@battista.bsky.social) 2025-06-14T16:13:58.853Z
Instead, the world saw the South Americans put up a standout performance. A continent that is regularly diminished when compared to Europe had the better game, the better fan turnout, and the better culture.
Sure, Porto is in the offseason and Palmeiras is in better form. But those facts don’t diminish what Palmeiras accomplished on Sunday.
There was a dark moment worth mentioning. The pregame video board showing a message saying “If you see something, say something” sponsored by Homeland Security didn’t give a great feeling considering that this event brings together global teams and fans in a tournament that literally has the word “world” in its name.
But there were no ugly scenes at MetLife. New Jersey State Troopers were in force around the venue, including behind the massive Palmeiras fan section, which is to be expected for a game like this one.
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