FIFA’s $2 Billion Soccer Extravaganza Kicks Off With a Whimper

Lionel Messi stands next to the Club World Cup trophy prior to Inter Miami’s opening game against Egypt’s Al Ahly.

Miami Gardens, Fla.

The idea of inventing a brand new global soccer tournament and putting it in America was always going to be audacious.

But in creating the Club World Cup, FIFA flexed every muscle. It rounded up 32 teams, 12 venues, and over $1 billion in prize money Against all odds, it even managed to draw 61,000 fans to its opening match on Saturday night—an unlikely matchup between a plodding Inter Miami side and the Egyptian club Al Ahly.

The one thing that FIFA couldn’t engineer was goals.

As the tournament kicked off with the first of 63 matches, the grand spectacle conceived by FIFA President Gianni Infantino had to settle for a 0-0 draw. Not even Miami’s Lionel Messi, one of the Club World Cup’s star attractions, could break the tie.

In fact, Messi was lucky not to lose. Though he forced a couple of spectacular saves from the goalkeeper, he was in the rare position of being an underdog. Al Ahly, one of the most decorated clubs in world soccer, had the better chances to win and even had a first half penalty saved.

“I’m disappointed with the result—we could have taken all three points,” Al Ahly forward Wessam Abou Ali said. “We respect Inter Miami and their big-name players, but we could have finished the game in the first half by scoring three or four goals.”

Al Ahly’s Trezeguet had a first-half penalty saved by Inter Miami goalkeeper Oscar Ustari in a lackluster 0-0 draw.

The more significant takeaway from the evening was the surprising show of force from the Al Ahly fans. FIFA had orchestrated things so that Inter Miami could play the opener in its home city in an effort to drive up attendance. But it was the Egyptian fans who took over Hard Rock Stadium, 6,500 miles from the Nile, with red Al Ahly shirts far outnumbering Miami’s pink jerseys.

“It’s like we were playing in Cairo,” Al Ahly manager Jose Riveiro said.

The Egyptians players won’t be the only ones to feel a taste of home away from home during this tournament. While plenty of venues have seen sluggish ticket sales, it’s already clear that a handful of clubs will enjoy robust traveling support.

In Miami, fans of Buenos Aires-based Boca Juniors were ready to flood Hard Rock Stadium for their Monday match against Portugal’s Benfica. And in New York, a merry contingent of Brazilian Palmeiras fans signaled their arrival by pouring into Times Square on Saturday ahead of their opener against Porto. FIFA is hoping for plenty more to make the trip as the tournament progresses. Beyond the U.S., the biggest markets for ticket sales have been Argentina, Brazil, and Mexico, the organization said. But not even FIFA—or perhaps Al Ahly—could have anticipated so many Egyptian supporters suddenly materializing in South Florida.

“To be in the States and have it like you were playing at home,” Riveiro said, “is something that can probably only happen here.”

FIFA President Gianni Infantino, center, and the former Brazil national team forward Ronaldo were in the stands at Hard Rock Stadium.