Messi can be seen at $4! The main event in football has been cold in the box office in the United States, and Trump s policy of "dissuading" fans to go to the United States

On June 14th local time, the "Club World Cup" (hereinafter referred to as the "Club World Cup") grandly opened in Miami, USA, which is an important milestone in FIFA's promotion of football in the United States. In order to welcome the opening match with Messi "starring" by Messi, Miami deliberately gave up the usual home court of professional football and switched to a comprehensive stadium that can accommodate 60,000 spectators.

However, the imagined crowded scene did not happen, and the deserted ticket sales made the organizer anxious. A few days before the opening game, local Miami colleges and universities even informed students that they could buy 5 tickets for $20, which means that each person could see Messi's game on the spot for $4. The failure of FIFA's FIFA abacus is certainly due to the reasons of the football manager (unreasonable schedule, star fatigue) and objective reasons (hot weather). However, some media pointed out that Trump's immigration and visa policies are the "culprit". The host countries that used to host world-class competitions usually provided the greatest convenience for fans and athletes, while the Trump administration's attitude made outside travelers feel chilled.

What is even more "terrifying" is that in the next few years, the United States will become the organizer of the world's most important sports events, including the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. Sports events were originally an excellent occasion to promote cultural exchanges and gather people's hearts, but the Trump administration, which shouts "America First", may be difficult for sports fans around the world to truly enjoy a wonderful and joyful event.

FIFA took great pains to put high hopes on the opening game, and the tickets for the opening game dropped to US$4 per ticket in 2025. In this "Little Year of Sports", FIFA carefully launched the revised and upgraded Club World Cup event, repackaging this once "small rib" event and focusing on launching it, hoping to attract the attention of global fans in this hot summer, especially the US market with strong sports consumption capacity can fall in love with football.

To this end, FIFA has deliberately increased the number of participating teams on various continents on a large scale, greatly increased the prize amount of the event, and the venue also covers many large and small and medium-sized cities in the United States. In order to enhance the box office appeal, FIFA took great pains to "go through the back door" to the Miami International team where Messi is located a special "host country welfare quota". Although the Riyadh Victory Team, who played for Ronaldo, missed the Club World Cup in Asia, FIFA Chairman Infantino did not give up his efforts. Until the start of the game, he was still trying to win over Ronaldo to "temporarily join" a Club World Cup team in order to allow American fans to witness his style on the spot.

Under strong publicity, FIFA initially felt confident in the box office. Earlier this year, FIFA officially announced the "dynamic pricing strategy" that the highest ticket in the final was even priced at more than US$2,000, close to the World Cup final. The most expensive ticket for the opening match with Messi participated in the first prize of over $700. However, such a strategy was quickly slapped in the face by reality.

According to US media reports, Miami Dard College, which has more than 100,000 registered students, recently announced a strategic cooperation with FIFA to provide students with FIFA internships and visit opportunities. In addition, Dard College sent an email to the student's email address saying that as long as you apply for tickets with the suffix of the college's email address, you can buy the opening tickets for $20, and enjoy the discount of "buy one and get four free", which is equivalent to buying 5 tickets for just $20. The phenomenon of cold club World Cup events is by no means limited to Miami. American fans who purchased tickets in advance were surprised to find that with insufficient demand and lower ticket prices, they actually received a partial refund, or were notified to move their seats closer to the venue. The Seattle Bayerns of the Major League Soccer League have even "do their good deeds" and have given free Club World Cup tickets to loyal fans of their clubs. A Seattle fan quipped on social media, "According to this trend, the club may pay me to fill in empty seats."

Trump's policy of "dissuading" tourists to the United States

Vance publicly warned fans to "departure within a deadline"

In the past, the host country of sports events would definitely try to provide convenience to facilitate athletes and fans travel and watch the game. For example, when Qatar held the World Cup in 2022, it launched the "HayyaCard" one-card service. Fans can not only enter the country without a visa with a card, but also enjoy many conveniences during the travel process; Russia, which held the World Cup in 2018, also launched the "Fan ID" policy, and you can enter the country without a visa with a World Cup ticket.

However, the United States has not given any green light for the Club World Cup, and even the prospects for the upcoming US, Canada and Mexico World Cup will be worrying next year. In May this year, a joke by US Vice President Vance made football people extremely angry. When attending a meeting related to World Cup preparation, Vance said that fans are welcome to enjoy the event, but remember to go home on time, "If your visa expires, Norm (Secretary of Homeland Security) will come to deal with you in person."

Against the backdrop of the Trump administration's tough deportation of immigrants and striving to tighten visas, overseas tourists and fans' enthusiasm for going to the United States has been "spent a pot of cold water". The European Tourism Association previously predicted that "under the influence of Trump's confrontational foreign policy, the enthusiasm for going to the United States this summer will be greatly suppressed." In addition to the unfriendly atmosphere, overseas tourists should also be worried about being treated such as detention, detention, and body search. Foreign departments such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Canada have previously warned citizens to be careful of the risks of going to the United States.

In April this year, Trump announced the "Liberation Day" tariff policy, which further aroused the opposition among overseas tourists. In Europe, where football giants gather, the number of tourists to the United States fell by 28% year-on-year this year. In Central and South America, which are closer to the United States and have a prevalent football culture, the number of tourists to the United States has also declined similarly. The American Tourism Association predicts that the U.S. tourism industry will shrink by 8.7% overall this year. Before Trump took office, the agency predicted that 2025 would become a "recovery year" for the US tourism industry. Alan, chairman of the American Tourism Association, said, "Trump's policies and remarks not only tear apart American society, but also damage the emotions of overseas tourists."