FIFA has come out to defend the ticket sales for the Club World Cup amidst noticeably sparse attendance at a recent group stage match.

Only 3,412 spectators were present for the fixture featuring Ulsan HD of South Korea and Mamelodi Sundowns from South Africa in Orlando, starkly fewer than the 22,317 fans who witnessed Chelsea’s kickoff against Los Angeles FC in Atlanta, hosted by a stadium with a 71,000 capacity.

This tournament has sparked controversy since its launch, leading to lawsuits from domestic leagues and players' unions against FIFA over claimed insufficient communication concerning fixture scheduling.

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While some matches have drawn significant crowds – notably over 80,000 attending Paris St Germain's win over Atletico Madrid in Pasadena – FIFA announced on Tuesday that nearly 1.5 million tickets have been sold thus far.

According to FIFA, the initial eight matches drew an impressive 340,000 attendees, showcasing the broad global appeal of club football. The organisation highlighted that four out of the top five best-selling group stage games are yet to occur.

Manchester City is set to open their campaign against Morocco’s Wydad Casablanca on Wednesday evening.

There are substantial financial rewards up for grabs, with the potential for City or Chelsea to bag almost £100million if they claim victory in the tournament.

Despite these lucrative stakes, former Manchester City defender Danny Mills has labelled the competition as "pointless".

Speaking to William Hill Vegas, he shared his bafflement: "I don't get it and I don't understand what kudos it brings.

"It might be a nice day out for the minnows like Auckland City FC, but for players from the top clubs, like Paris St Germain, Real Madrid and Manchester City, at the end of their careers, they are not going to care if they won the Club World Cup or not.

"It's a made-up competition for FIFA to make money, it's as simple as that. There is no prestige in winning the competition whatsoever.

"I don't really know if many people are watching it but there doesn't seem to be much interest in the matches at all. It's an unnecessary tournament."