The 2025 FIFA Club World Cup continued on with a midweek, midday match in the Meadowlands. Fluminense FC and Borussia Dortmund played to the second scoreless draw at MetLife Stadium in this tournament, in yet another battle between South America and Europe. Over 34,000 were announced as attending the match, which kicked off at noon Eastern Time.
On Sunday, it was SE Palmeiras and FC Porto who played an exciting 0-0 draw at MetLife in front of more than 46,000 fans. The 0-0 draw today was just as enjoyable for the neutral fan. But cracks are starting to show, both at the game in New Jersey and around the country.
MetLife still scoreless
We’re 120 minutes into MetLife’s hosting duties for the Club World Cup, and no goals have been scored in East Rutherford. But it wasn’t for a lack of trying.
Fluminense controlled the first half. Dortmund barely moved into the opposing end and looked to be on the ropes multiple times.
A fourth-minute quick attack by eventual Player of the Match Jhon Arias broke Dortmund down as the Columbian broke out down the right side. His shot went high over the crossbar.
Arias tried again in the 17th minute, once again running down the right side and getting around the backline. With defender Ramy Bensebaini closing in, Arias slid into a right-footed shot that probably was going wide. But BVB keeper Gregor Kobel punched it away just to be safe.
Arias notched three attempts on goal in this game, And was on the end of half a dozen crosses into the attacking area that kept Kobel and the backline on edge.
Fluminense FC 0-0 Borussia Dortmund | Official Highlights
Above all, Fluminense looked firmly in control of the ball. Many of the team's wide shots came off team plays testing the Dortmund box. One six-pass series moved the ball from the left side into the middle for attacking midfielder Hércules to launch a shot.
Fluminense qualified for the Club World Cup as 2023 Copa Libertadores champions, making the team the most recent title-winner on the MetLife field and the only true champion in their group of four. They played like it too. Fluminense had a chance to take the lead in the 58th minute when Everaldo looked to break through the backline. But he cut back though and passed off to Agustin Canobbio, who weakly fired to Kobel.
Dortmund failed to test veteran goalkeeper Fabio until the 64th minute when Marcel Sabitzer shot from just outside the box. It was one of three saves that came in the last half-hour against the 44-year-old keeper, who has played more than 1,000 matches for his team since 1997.
Earlier, the small but noticeable yellow and black contingent did get something to cheer for. New signing Jobe Bellingham, younger brother of Jude Bellingham, made his debut in the 59th minute.
Neither side threatened in the last half hour, seemingly happy to leave the match with a point. Dortmund heads to Cincinnati next, facing South African side Mamelodi Sundowns on Sunday. Fluminense will remain in the Garden State to play Ulsan HD of South Korea.
Small crowd, high-energy
In the 80th minute, the official attendance of 34,736 was announced. That’s a decrease of 11,539 from the 46,725 who watched Sunday’s game between Palmeiras and Porto. Those numbers aren’t surprising considering today’s match kicked off at noon, on a weekday, in overcast rainy weather.
For the second straight match, the fans of a Brazilian team outnumbered European supporters at MetLife. And like on Sunday, the northwest end of the stadium could only be described as a sea of flags and chanting supporters that helped create a vibrant atmosphere.
The biggest difference was the distinct yellow kit spotted by the typical Dortmund fan: It was easy to spot from above and see them around the stadium. It helped that the upper level of the stadium was closed because of the small crowd.
If the physical makeup of the crowd was 75% for Fluminense, audibly it was 95% behind them. The German fans never had the chance to break through despite being visually scattered around the stadium.
Still, Dortmund had their supporters in the stadium. When asked after the game by Hudson River Blue, Borussia defender Waldemar Anton praised the thousands in attendance.
“It was a great support,” Anton said. “We have great fans and we're happy that they are with us. They give us a lot… I'm very happy that we have so many fans (that came out).”
The defender also said the stadium not being full was ok and called the atmosphere great.
Is this tournament working?
Still, after two games, some questions need to be asked. Is the FIFA Club World Cup actually working? Is a half-empty MetLife Stadium midday on a Tuesday a good look one year ahead of the World Cup?
According to FIFA, it is. In a press release that went out on Tuesday, FIFA announced that as of Tuesday, June 17, the organization sold close to 1.5 million tickets for the Club World Cup. The release also stated that 340,000 fans attended matches across the first three match days of the tournament.
"This is exactly what the FIFA Club World Cup was created for: a world-class stage where new stories are told, new heroes emerge, and club football fans feel part of something bigger", said FIFA President Gianni Infantino in the release."FIFA is proud of the unique and multicultural atmosphere and support this new competition has already generated — and thanks every fan who has brought their voice, passion, and presence as the FIFA Club World Cup continues to grow into the undisputed pinnacle of global club football."
But that doesn’t match up with what we’re seeing at the games. In another Tuesday match, Group F saw Ulsan HD play Mamelodi Sundowns in front of maybe 1,000 people in attendance at the 25,500-capacity Inter&Co Stadium, home to Orlando City. The international press is reporting the poor turnout no matter what FIFA might claim.
I count 97 people at Ulsan vs Mamelodi Sundowns here in Orlando
— Maher Mezahi (@MezahiMaher) June 17, 2025
This has to be the worst attendance of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup so far? pic.twitter.com/2TkHskwMC4
By that standard, the more than 34,000 who trekked out to MetLife today wasn't a bad showing: The glass isn’t 59% empty, it’s 41% full. But while those numbers might be OK for a Club World Cup group stage match played at noon, they should be concerning coming just one year before the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Michael Battista
