Sounders will break CCL finals attendance record

The Seattle Sounders will break the attendance record for a Concacaf Champions League final, Sounder at Heart has learned. The current record for a final is 61,004 who showed up to watch Montreal host Club America in the 2014-15 edition of the tournament. Based on the TicketMaster’s availability map, the Sounders have already sold close to 62,000 tickets for Wednesday’s match against Pumas UNAM. All but one or two sections appear to be open as of 1 PM Pacific.

Prior to last Wednesday’s first leg, the Sounders had sold about 50,000 tickets for the match. Ever since the Sounders secured a 2-2 tie — meaning that they’d claim the trophy with any win at home — sales have picked up considerably.

“I am never surprised by our fans and their love of the game and the Sounders, but nevertheless they deserve real credit for breaking the Champions League Final attendance record days in advance of Wednesday’s kickoff,” Sounders Owner & President of Business Operations Peter Tomozawa said in a team statement. “We know that this upcoming game is historic, and we want to create a fortress for our team inside Lumen Field. This is the only major trophy missing from our club’s collection, and we are calling on every Sounders fan in the region to be there and support the team. If you don’t already have your tickets, please act fast before they’re gone. We can’t wait to see you all on Wednesday night, let’s make history!”

While they were always confident that they would set the finals record, it now looks reasonably likely that they could completely sell out Lumen Field and break the overall CCL attendance record of 66,208 that watched Club America beat Herediano at Estadio Azteca in the 2014-15 semifinals.

It was not immediately clear if the Sounders would have the capacity to break their own single-game attendance record of 69,274 that they drew for the 2019 MLS Cup. To get to that capacity, the Sounders needed to add about 500 temporary seats and standing-room-only tickets. The 2019 MLS Cup is still the largest crowd to ever attend a sporting event at Lumen Field.

The announced attendance of the first leg at Estadio Olímpico Universitario was 42,617, which was purposefully limited due to safety concerns. That will make it impossible for Sounders-Pumas to set a total attendance record for the CCL finals. Club America and Montreal combined to draw more than 117,000 in 2014-15.

This will be the ninth time the Sounders have drawn at least 60,000 fans to a game. They are 7-0-1 in their previous eight.