FIFA Club World Cup 2025 bringing soccer fans together at MetLife Stadium

EAST RUTHERFORD — The Travassos family is living out of a burgundy-and-green suitcase. They arrived in New Jersey on June 16 from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to follow Fluminense FC through the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.

Fans of the Brazilian club packed one end of MetLife Stadium, singing in unison and waving red, white and green flags through the scoreless draw against Borussia Dortmund on June 17. They'd already had a spirited tailgate outside the stadium, as young and old alike joined in on club anthems. Some fans even flung flour around in celebration.

"Everybody knows everybody here, because we're always traveling around South America – and now the U.S.," said Marcela Travassos, who was with her husband, Marcelo, and their 6-year-old daughter, Maria Isabel. "It's an opportunity to see Fluminense outside Brazil in the first World Cup for clubs."

Marcelo and Marcela Travassos traveled from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil with their 6-year-old daughter Maria Isabel to watch Fluminense play in the Club World Cup at MetLife Stadium on June 17, 2025.

The family was planning to be on the road through July 3, visiting New Jersey, Miami, and possibly Atlanta if Fluminense advanced to the round of 16 there.

MetLife Stadium was about half full with 34,736 people for the second local game in the 63-match, month-long Club World Cup, that will culminate with the final here on July 13. The tournament includes players from 81 countries playing on teams from 20, which FIFA says is the "most inclusive competition" in its history.

For New Jersey, it's a test run for the much bigger World Cup tournament to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico next summer.

Soccer sticker shock

Even after FIFA reduced ticket prices to boost walk-up attendance, seats for the Club World Cup remained expensive – especially with a Brazilian real being worth only 18 cents U.S.

"It's not easy," Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said, noting the noon start time on July 17. "If the national teams are playing, the whole country is coming to the stadium and supporting the national teams. Now the clubs are playing, and each club has a group of supporters. That will be difficult for this competition."

Check out our photo gallery from the June 27 Club World Cup match between Fluminense and Borussia Dortmund, then scroll down for the rest of the story.

Though Jesus Diaz was attending his second Club World Cup match on June 17, he lamented his chances of getting to either the semis or the final at MetLife Stadium in July. Diaz said tickets for the final cost $800 "all the way at the top," while the semis are $500.

In a press release, FIFA said close to 1.5 million tickets had been sold in 130 countries.

A Peruvian who has lived in Nutley for 30 years, Diaz wore a pink-trimmed black No. 10 Inter Miami jersey and a FC Barcelona cap – all in honor of Lionel Messi.

No matter that Miami – and Messi, an Argentinian midfielder – aren't scheduled to play at MetLife Stadium during the group stage. The MLS team opened the Club World Cup at their home stadium with a scoreless draw against Al Ahly of Cairo, Egypt on June 14.

Soccer fans exit MetLife Stadium after a Club World Cup game ended in a 0-0 tie, Tuesday, June 17, 2025.

Diaz spent that day with his family and then celebrated Father's Day with friends at the MetLife opener: a scoreless draw on June 15 between Palmeiras of Brazil and Portugal's Porto.

Diaz has gone to Spain to see Messi play for Barca three times, and twice to Miami. He even bought 2024 season tickets for the Red Bulls "just to see Messi," but he didn't play when the team visited on March 23.

"I just want to see a good game," said Diaz, a delivery driver for Coca-Cola. "It doesn't matter who wins. I'll support both teams. If you love soccer, that's how it is."

Soccer world comes together in the parking lot

To Pawel Wolosz of Carlstadt, seeing Borussia Dortmund was the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. But he admitted, the crowd in yellow-and-black was smaller than it would be at Signal Iduna Park in Germany.

Wolosz attended the match with his father-in-law, Jacek Rzucidlo, who emigrated from Poland to Wallington in 1995 and 8-year-old Jack Rzucidlo, who said he's a Barcelona fan despite the Dortmund flag around his neck.

Franklin Hernandez cooks picanha, short ribs and sausage at a tailgate party before Fluminense played Borussia Dortmund on June 17, 2025. Uzziel Arias (far left), the owner of Charrito's in Weehawken, brought 10 staff members to the Club World Cup match.

"I watch every single game (on TV). I don't miss a game," said Wolosz, a Dortmund fan for 16 years. "They're playing here, so I have to take the opportunity to come here."

Uzziel Arias took 10 staff members from his Weehawken restaurant, Charrito's, to the June 17 match. Franklin Hernandez, a server, was grilling up picanha, short ribs and sausage at about 10:15 a.m. It was a mixed crowd, whose gear represented their home countries: Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador and more.

Next summer, Arias is planning to travel to see Mexico play in the World Cup.

"Games bring people together," said Arias, who also works as a bilingual therapist at a shelter for the LGBT community. "It's truly world culture. That's a beautiful thing. Only soccer does that, because it's a world sport."