The Club World Cup, one of the most divisive football competitions ever created, concludes this Sunday with the final showdown between Paris St-Germain and Chelsea.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his satisfaction on the eve of the final, stating, "We can definitely say that this FIFA Club World Cup has been a tremendous success."
Previously held as an annual winter tournament for six continental champions and a host club, the format now mirrors the World Cup, which itself is set to expand from 2026 onwards.
Over a month, 32 teams from every continent have competed in 63 matches, including the final, held in the United States.
Despite criticisms labeling it as an Infantino vanity project and former Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp calling it the "worst idea ever implemented in football," the tournament has faced challenges such as sparse crowds, extreme weather, and player fatigue.
Michael Brown, covering the tournament for broadcasters Dazn, told BBC Sport, "It's been a big success. I've been everywhere, and it's been a brilliant tournament to work on and watch here."
BBC Sport examines the level of interest and whether the tournament's format can be deemed successful.
The Crowds
Concerns have been raised regarding low attendance at some matches. Four games drew fewer than 10,000 fans, with the lowest being 3,412 spectators for the Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Ulsan HD match.
However, 15 matches attracted crowds of 60,000 or more, with the highest being 80,619 for PSG's 4-0 victory over Atletico Madrid in Pasadena. Most high-attendance games featured PSG or Real Madrid, and knockout games were generally well-attended.
The average attendance of 38,369 is lower than any World Cup since Chile 1962, with factors such as weekday kick-off times, ticket prices, weather, and immigration concerns cited as reasons for low turnouts.
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, FIFA's chief of global football development, remarked, "The decisive question is 'do the fans like it or not'? We believe the attendances were projected as low and in reality were much higher."
Dynamic ticket pricing, common in US sports, was employed, with prices for Chelsea's semi-final against Fluminense dropping from nearly £350 to less than £10 in the week before the game.
Michael Brown noted, "From the fans' point of view, it's been positive. Everyone I've spoken to thinks it has been an incredible tournament, and they have had a wonderful time."
Did Teams Want to Win It?
The answer is yes, largely due to the substantial prize fund. Teams could earn up to £91m for winning the tournament, with Manchester City earning £38m despite exiting in the last 16.
Chelsea likely earned around £80m for reaching the final, with Joao Pedro contributing significantly with two semi-final goals against Fluminense.
The winners will have the privilege of wearing a badge declaring them world champions until the next tournament in 2029.
As the tournament progressed, European teams became more determined to win. City captain Bernardo Silva, after losing to Al-Hilal, admitted, "We had a lot of ambition for this Club World Cup and we wanted to win it."
Wenger stated, "If you make enquiries to all the clubs who were here, then 100% of answers would be that they would want to do it again."
The Football
From a purely football perspective, the tournament can be considered a success. The group stages started slowly, with mismatched games like Bayern Munich's 10-0 win over Auckland City.
However, the tournament featured plenty of dramatic matches and surprising scorelines, with an average of more than three goals per game.
PSG, who have been sensational at times, defeated Atletico Madrid, Real Madrid, and Inter Miami 4-0, and overcame Bayern 2-0 despite being reduced to nine men.
Michael Brown commented, "We saw a few mismatched games at the start, but all the subsequent games have been competitive. The mixture of cultures has been amazing, with different styles of play and a lot of quality everywhere."
Global Fan Interest
The tournament, lacking historical prestige, has not captured the attention of all football fans. BBC Sport's live pages and reports for the knockout rounds attracted between 40% and 50% of the audience typically seen for the Champions League.
However, these are still significant figures compared to many lesser-followed competitions. Every match was available to watch for free in the UK, with all 63 games on the Dazn app and Channel 5 airing 23 games.
Channel 5 reported satisfaction with viewership, with the Chelsea vs. Los Angeles FC match peaking at 1.6 million UK viewers and Real Madrid vs. Al-Hilal reaching 1.1 million.