The 2026 FIFA World Cup has been recorded as the most attended tournament in FIFA history. According to NBC television, the previous record was set in 1994 when the USA hosted the World Cup.
As of June 25, more than 3.6 million fans had visited stadiums in the first two weeks of the ongoing tournament in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The record was officially confirmed after the matches between Germany and Ecuador, and Ivory Coast and Curaçao.
By that time, the total number of spectators had reached 3,605,357.
FIFA recognized this result as the highest figure in the history of World Cups. Considering that the tournament is still ongoing, the final number of spectators is expected to increase further and set new milestones.
Experts attribute the high interest to several factors. First of all, the tournament is being held simultaneously in three countries — the USA, Canada, and Mexico — and matches are organized in many cities, which has expanded the reach of fans.
Additionally, large-capacity stadiums, especially in the USA, played a decisive role in setting the record. Most of them can accommodate over 70,000–80,000 spectators at a time.
For comparison, at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, most stadiums had a capacity of approximately 45,000 seats. At the 2026 World Cup, high-capacity arenas contributed to a sharp increase in spectator flow.
