2,000,000th fan: Monterrey exited the Club World Cup, but one lucky fan walked away with an unforgettable reward

Francisco Mendoza, a Monterrey supporter living in Atlanta, was honored as the 2,000,000th fan to attend a FIFA Club World Cup match. The milestone was reached during the Round of 16 clash between Rayados and Borussia Dortmund at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Tuesday, where the German side came out on top with a 2-1 win.

Before kickoff, Mendoza was recognized by FIFA for purchasing the tournament’s milestone ticket. Overcome with emotion, he shared, "I’m still shaking. This is something I’ll never forget. My family just moved in with me to Atlanta, and this was our first match together. It turned into a lifetime memory. I’m going to frame that photo right away. Thanks to FIFA for making this moment possible."

To make the moment even more special, Mendoza and his family had the chance to meet Luis “El Matador” Hernández, one of Mexico’s all-time top scorers in FIFA World Cup history, who posed for a photo before the match.

The Round of 16 match between Monterrey and Dortmund drew a crowd of 31,442, slightly below the tournament’s average attendance of around 35,000 fans per match.

As part of his prize, Francisco Mendoza received four tickets to the upcoming quarterfinal match between PSG and Bayern Munich, also set to take place at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

The largest turnout in the competition was 80,619 fans during the group stage showdown between Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético de Madrid at the Rose Bowl Stadium in Los Angeles. Notably, four of the next six highest-attended matches have also featured teams from different confederations.

Rayados will return to Mexico to begin preparations for the Apertura 2025, as they kick off their campaign on July 13 against Pachuca in Week 1.