Less than 2,500 spectators: Peru’s unusual World Cup record

The official statistics of soccer They detail that the smallest number of spectators in a World Cup match was recorded in the stadium “The Pocitos“, in Uruguaywith capacity for 10,000 fans, to which only a total of 2,459 attended for a Peru–Romania of the first phase of the first World Cup.

It was played on July 14, 1930, at a time when football was already the most popular sport in the world, but not yet the mass monetary spectacle that it is these days.

Almost a hundred years later, less than a third of that number attended the Elias Figueroa stadium in the city of Valparaiso, Chile, this Wednesday to watch the clash between the locals Unión La Calera and the Ecuadorians from Universidad Católica in the group stage. of the Copa Sudamericana, the second most important club tournament in South America.

Just 760 brave people who braved the cold and the untimely hours of the night to enjoy the duel live in a venue that lacks all the comforts and services that others have offered for decades.

Some experts blame the weather and the time – but in the United Kingdom and northern Europe it is colder and rains more and the stadiums are full regardless of the time – and others blame television, but it also broadcasts live in others. continents and the stands burn.

Others point to security in a country, Chile, with too many induced fears and little nightlife in general, despite being one of the safest states in South America; and others to tradition, emphasizing that Chileans prefer to enjoy the ball in a comfortable room.

Certain statistics contradict them. According to the HFFHS, until last year Chile led the global ranking of spectators in World Cup qualifiers ahead of Brazil and Argentina.

Only in the average per game, the Verdeamarelha remained at the top with 50,243; La Roja was second with just 7,000 less, but 2,000 more than Messi’s albiceleste.

A problem for Conmebol

Although Conmebol has declined to make an official statement, some of its members told Agencia EFE that the empty stands represent a double problem, both image and economic.

Opening a stadium has a high cost: you have to pay for services, security, access (…) much higher costs than the very poor ticket offices. If it were not for the money granted by Conmebol, the balance of organizing the match like the one in Valparaiso would be very negative, they warn.

In any case, Conmebol sources, who preferred not to be cited, emphasize that it is mainly a Chilean problem, since in other countries the stadiums show a great atmosphere.

bad stadiums

In Chile, the conditions in which its football is played do not help to hook the fan either: only a couple of stadiums meet the minimum standards of FIFA, despite the fact that they are all old, uncomfortable, cold and have remained anchored in the past.

Not only the stands of venues like the Monumental de Colo Colo, in the capital, generate rejection for the fan: the seats are uncomfortable, the fences have dangerous concertina winds and an ugly, scratched and old glass separates the stands from the field.

Also the dressing rooms and the exit tunnel are from another era and even generate fear among the footballers. Not to mention the gloomy lighting. Conmebol “turns a blind eye” because if it were strict, it could not be played in any stadium in Chile, a country that aspired to hold a World Cup.

This means that other teams, such as Unión La Calera itself or Palestino, in Libertadores, have to travel to other locations to be able to play their international matches, reducing the interest of their few fans.

Shortage of fans

And in Chile the statistics show that the teams do not achieve local roots and that the majority of Chileans are fans of one of the big three: Colo Colo, Universidad de Chile or Universidad Católica.

Last season’s figures show that the champion, Cobresal, had seven of the ten games with the lowest attendance of the year: the negative record, 394 people compared to O’Higgins.

And those who say that the Chilean team is La Roja, which does fill stadiums, are also wrong: on the road to the 2026 World Cup the team has only attracted more spectators than Paraguay at home, in a very significant decline.

A total of 80,169 people, with an average of 26,723 per match compared to the 24,027 that the Guaraní squad gathered.

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