Last Sunday, Audi Field in Washington, D.C., hosted what seemed a world-class soccer match: Red Bull Salzburg, a Union of European Football Associations Champions League regular, versus Al Hilal, one of Asia’s most decorated clubs. It was competitive, but the energy was flat, the players looked disinterested, and the fans who showed up mostly stayed quiet. It wasn’t just dull, but an indicator of the rampant sports fatigue seen around the world. The Fédération Internationale de Football Association’s approach to the Club World Cup isn’t helping.

The newly expanded competition, touted as a key step toward growing the “global game” in the United States ahead of the 2026 World Cup, landed with a thud. Meant to showcase elite international competition, it instead reveals how little organizing bodies understand the sports landscape. It also shows how far removed FIFA’s vision is from what actually makes sports meaningful.