Ongoing FIFA World Cup 2026 has become the most-attended tournament in history.
Through sixty (60) games, the World Cup 2026 has attracted over 3.8 million fans, surpassing the 1994 World Cup’s complete tournament total of 3.6 million.
The tournament reached this feat following the final Group E match between Ecuador and Germany on Thursday 25 June, 2026 at the New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, United States (US).
The Ecuadorians came from the back to defeat the DFB Eleven 2-1.
Expanded to forty-eight (48) teams and 104 matches, the World Cup 2026 obviously set the record in fewer matches than the smaller tournaments which featured thirty-two (32) teams.
The average match had 68,991 in attendance in 1994 while 2026 is averaging 64,720 per match.
According to USA Today:
The biggest difference between 1994, 2026 and every World Cup in between is simple: stadium size.
This year is in a similar ballpark to 1994 — per US Soccer, the average capacity for 2026 stadiums is 69,134, or 42% higher than the 1998 to 2022 average.
The tournament in 1994 averaged a capacity of 74,166 across its nine venues. Tournaments between 1998 and 2022 averaged a capacity of 48,544, so 1994’s average represents a 53% jump in stadium size, according to the Stadium Guide.
There are three (3) Stadiums that are being used for the FIFA World Cup 2026 that have more than 80,000 in capacity, they are, Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, and AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
The AT&T Stadium is the largest in the tournament with a stated capacity of 92,967.
The World Cup 2026 is on course to surpass 6.5 million in total attendance based on its current average.
It is for the World to wait and see whether the tournament surpasses this figure.
Photo: A general view as the screen shows a world record attendance of 3,605,357 during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group E match between Ecuador and Germany at New York New Jersey Stadium on June 25, 2026 in East Rutherford, New Jersey | Buda Mendes/Getty Images
