Boca Juniors fans take over Miami Walmart, one sells car to attend Club World Cup opener against Benfica

The first match of Boca Juniors at the New-Look Club World Cup Was as entertaining as it becomes, with the fans of the Argentinian club on Tuesday getting the most out of their time in South Florida for the 2-2 draw of the team with Benfica.

The match itself was in itself entertaining, with Boca taking a 2-0 lead within the first 30 minutes before Benfica organized a comeback, while the two teams have one total of three red cards on the road. However, the support for Boca was just as entertaining in terms of the atmosphere in the stadium, as well as the festive mood they created during the day.

Boca Juniors fans are expected to have made up most of the 55,000 that filled the Hardrock Stadium of Miami Gardens on Tuesday, although that was not the only place where they were seen in large numbers. They were spotted on local beaches and on other nearby attractions during the day, while a group of supporters essentially took over an Area Walmart and was full.

A fan even told Spanish-speaking media that he sold his car to join colleague Boca fans in the Miami area, where the team will be based for a few days. They return to play on Friday in Hard Rock Stadium against German Bayern Munich in one of the more expected matches of the second round of group game.

Proponents of South American, African teams in full power

The early days of the club World Cup are defined by contrasts, not only in the level of play between opponents, but also in the crowd. While some matches, such as the 2-0 victory of Chelsea over Lafc on Monday in Atlanta, will be reminded for their figures with low presence, fans of different teams appear in large numbers.

Fans of the Brazilian Palmeiras and the Esperance de Tunis of Tunisia, for example, took the Times Square of New York prior to the matches of their teams on Sunday and Monday respectively. In the meantime, proponents of Al Ahly van Egypt formed the majority of the crowd in the club World Cup opener on Saturday against Inter Miami despite the game that took place at Hard Rock Stadium.

It is unclear how much these fans have paid for tickets, because there have been various reports that FIFA has reduced the prices prior to the start of the tournament, although the considerable support for those clubs is little surprise. Although many in Europe have viewed the tournament, which was extended from eight teams to 32 teams, with skepticism, supporters and teams from South America and Africa take the club world very seriously.