The mélange of blue skies, storm clouds and intermittent downpours that hovered over Audi Field before kickoff Wednesday night formed a suitable metaphor for this supersized Club World Cup.
The outlook for the tournament, as a FIFA cash cow, is sunny enough. Any excuse to bring soccer’s elite to the United States for matches that count is a unique occasion. In a D.C. market overlooked for the men’s World Cup next summer, this event carries outsize significance. (One painful reminder: The tourism ad outside Audi Field that encouraged fans to travel to Philadelphia to get their 2026 World Cup fix.