Mohamed Ahmadi wasn’t expecting to see so much red and gold. The Al Ahly fan, who has followed his side around the world for 20 years in nearly as many countries, had managed his expectations ahead of arriving at Miami International Airport.
But as he walked off the plane and into baggage claim, he saw an abundance of red and gold, the colors of his club’s jersey. Ahmadi knew he would encounter countless familiar faces on this trip to the U.S. for the 2025 Club World Cup - after all, he had built a significant network in all of his years of traveling.
What he didn’t expect, though, were people he didn’t know, rooting for his team.
“I have found many, many come to support the team, strangers I have never met. It’s a good surprise,” Ahmadi told GOAL.
And such has been the story, repeated countless times, for fans traveling for the CWC. This has been a contentious tournament in many ways, including plenty of chatter before the tournament around why fans shouldn’t - or in some cases, couldn’t - come to the United States this summer.
And while some of those concerns remain valid, FIFA says that some 1.5 million tickets have been sold to fans from more than 130 countries for the 2025 Club World Cup. The power of soccer supporters is clear, with hundreds of thousands from countries that you might not expect pouring into the U.S. to attend a tournament that means so much for so many people.
“It was a good chance to meet together again. But yes, I'm surprised by how many of us have come to join and support the team,” Ahmadi said.
He is a perfect case study for the type of supporters making the commitment to attend the competition this summer. Ahmdi is originally from Egypt, but lives in London, working for a government-related company. He has followed the Egyptian side throughout North Africa and the Middle East. And when the opportunity arose for him to come to the U.S. for this expanded, 32-team iteration of the Club World Cup, he seized it.
There are countless others like him. While European clubs have established fan bases, and always have a larger number of supporters who will travel to matches, the real story of this summer’s tournament - already - has been the enthusiasm shown for teams that would not otherwise normally play games in the U.S. Mamelodi Sundowns, Ulsan HD, Auckland City and Palmeiras - just to name a few - brought strong contingents of fans to the country.