When the Club World Cup Stumbles: Revenue Lessons for Hoteliers
- Bassel Hamed
- Jul 16
- 2 min read
Greetings from EPIC HQ
This month, the beautiful game collided with brutal economics. As the expanded 2025 Club World Cup kicked off across U.S. stadiums, FIFA expected Super Bowl-like hype. What it got instead? A masterclass in overpricing, demand misreads, and the unshakable truth that star power doesn't scale, at least not without a plan.
Let’s break it down.
THE CLUB WORLD CUP: HYPE VS REALITY
The Expectation: FIFA positioned this as a global spectacle 32 teams, major markets, and Messi’s Inter Miami as the local ticket magnet.
The Reality:
Tens of thousands of empty seats at the Hard Rock Stadium for Inter Miami’s opener.
Tickets slashed from $349 to $55 days before kick-off.
One promo gave you 4 tickets for $20 total (yes, that’s not a typo)
Meanwhile, Real Madrid and PSG drew near sellouts. The Rose Bowl saw over 80,000 fans, a new Club World Cup record.
WHAT WENT WRONG?
FIFA Overestimated Demand Elasticity Dynamic pricing works, when demand exists. But this wasn’t Taylor Swift. Most fans wouldn’t shell out $200+ for Ulsan vs Sundowns. (Most of the people reading this will need to google them, unless you are a hardcore soccer fan)
Selective Interest, Not Mass Appeal Demand clustered around legacy clubs: Real Madrid, PSG, Boca Juniors. Everyone else? Niche at best, despite deep discounts.
The Visa & Travel Trap International fans faced visa delays, border anxiety, and zero travel incentives. In hospitality terms? No packaging, no personalization, no CRM.
U.S. Sports Saturation The NBA Finals, MLB, concerts, FIFA failed to break through the noise. The U.S. sports calendar is unforgiving if you don’t localize and segment.
WHAT THIS MEANS FOR HOSPITALITY DEMAND STRATEGY
If FIFA can fumble an event this big, hotels can too unless we learn fast:
Dynamic Pricing ≠ Blanket Pricing Smart pricing is rooted in micro-demand curves. Don’t apply a blanket rate logic to all guest segments or events.
Star Power Helps, But Personalization Wins Direct bookings and loyalty come from understanding your guest, not assuming they care about brand names alone.
Local Beats Global (Sometimes) Demand is hyper-local now. Your biggest win might not be a global OTA push, it could be a strategic concert tie-in 5 miles away.
Segment Relentlessly Who’s coming? Who’s not? Who could come with the right package, perk, or nudge? The future of RevPAR belongs to the curious, not the confident.
Final Thought:
The Club World Cup didn’t flop. But it exposed a truth we know well in hospitality:
Great demand doesn’t come from who’s on the field. It comes from who’s in the stands and how well you know them.
And yes, I’ll be in the stands myself this week for Al Ahly vs. Porto at MetLife. As a demand junkie, there’s nothing better than watching supply and pricing strategy play out in real time (plus a little fútbol magic, if we’re lucky).
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