FIFA revealed the Club World Cup numbers: ticket sales, top scorers by country, and a source of pride for Boca Juniors.

The Club World Cup took a break after the group stage concluded, and this Saturday it resumes with the round of 16 matches . Palmeiras and Botafogo will play each other first, starting at 1:00 PM, followed by Benfica and Chelsea at 5:00 PM (also in Argentine time).

In the run-up to these all-or-nothing clashes, FIFA released a report with all the numbers and statistics from the tournament so far, with 48 matches already played and producing some very striking and variable statistics that confirm just how entertaining and exciting the innovative competition proposed by Gianni Infantino and company has been.

One of the most striking figures from the competition was the size of the stadiums. It's true that there are gaps in the stands, and that has a lot to do with the fact that everything in the United States is huge, designed for very popular events like the NFL.

But according to FIFA figures, the Club World Cup has already had a total of 1,667,819 spectators , an average of 34,746 per match. The match with the largest attendance so far in the tournament was the clash between Atlético de Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain , which ended in a 4-0 victory for the French. The rout continued at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, which reached 80,619 tickets, a record for the first round.

In terms of attendance, the podium is completed by two matches played by Real Madrid : against Pachuca in Charlotte (70,248 spectators) and against Salzburg in Philadelphia (64,811). In fourth place is the first South American team, Boca Juniors , who were in the majority among the 63,587 who were at Hard Rock Stadium for the defeat to Bayern Munich. Merengue reappears in fifth place with the 62,415 who watched the draw with Al Hilal, also in Miami, with slightly fewer people than Xeneize.

The crowd was impressive, and neither was the spectacle. In these 48 matches, 144 goals were scored, an average of exactly 3 per game, and all 32 teams scored at least one. Among the highest-scoring stadiums was TQL Stadium in Cincinnati, with 21 goals in four matches, guaranteeing the crowd an average of 5.25 per game, although a dozen of them were in Bayern's 10-0 win over Auckland City. There were also great doses of adrenaline at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, with 19 goals in six matches, and at Lumen Field in Seattle, with 18 in six.

The tournament featured players from 72 nationalities on the pitch, with Brazil and Argentina leading the way in terms of playing time, with 91 and 73 respectively. Portugal was third with 32, closely followed by Spain (31). Mexico (26), Morocco (22), New Zealand (22), and South Korea (18) led the way in their respective confederations: CONCACAF, CAF, OFC, and AFC.

Of those 72 nationalities, 38 celebrated a goal. Argentina , with 17 goals, was the country with the most goals until Brazil , with 18, woke up. France is right behind them with 11. The dominance of their neighbors promises to extend into the knockout phase: they are the country with the most players in the round of 16 , and the fact that there are four Brazilians among the top 16 has a lot to do with it.

There are a total of 117 Brazilian players in the phase that begins this afternoon, followed by the Italians with 35 and the Germans with 34. The Argentines were just a step away from the podium because there are 33, ten of them from Lionel Messi 's Inter Miami . The diversity is notable: there are 49 nationalities in the first knockout stages of the Club World Cup.

Speaking of Leo, in addition to the Rosario star, there are four other world champions in the running: Nicolás Otamendi and Ángel Di María (both from Benfica); Enzo Fernández (Chelsea), and Lautaro Martínez (Inter), all of whom coincidentally have played minutes and scored goals.

Fideo leads the scoring charts thanks to his three penalty kicks, one against Boca Juniors and the other two against Auckland City. He is joined by Bayern's Michael Olise and Jamal Musiala , Juventus' Kenan Yildiz , and Wessam Abou Ali of the already eliminated Al Ahly.

Ten countries are represented in the round of 16, which begins this Saturday , and Brazil once again has the majority, with its four Libertadores champions still in contention. At least one of them will be in the quarterfinals, as there's a duel between compatriots between Palmeiras and Botafogo.

Diversity, a large crowd, and Brazil's dominance were just some of the takeaways from this half of the Club World Cup. And even though Boca Juniors and River Plate are no longer in the United States, the excitement continues.