NEW YORK: The FIFA World Cup 2026 shattered stadium attendance and television records as the expanded 48-team tournament delivered the largest edition in the competition’s history.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the tournament had “exceeded all expectations,” adding that television viewership broke previous records “many, many times over.”
The enlarged format, featuring 16 more teams than the 2022 edition in Qatar, produced 104 matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
FIFA had officially recorded more than 6.6 million fans in stadiums before the third-place playoff and final. After Spain beat Argentina in Sunday’s final, media outlets estimated total attendance at around 6.81 million spectators.
The previous World Cup attendance record was 3,587,538, set in the United States in 1994.
FIFA said stadiums operated at a record 99.7% capacity throughout the tournament, despite criticism over high ticket prices. The average attendance stood at 65,351 per match.
The tournament also delivered major commercial growth. FIFA had projected record 2026 revenues of more than seven billion euros, a 56% increase compared with the Qatar World Cup.
Television rights were expected to rise by 34% to nearly $4 billion, while sponsorship revenue was projected to grow by 21%.
FIFA also reported strong digital engagement, saying billions of people had interacted with the competition online by the end of the round of 16.
Infantino has also said discussions have taken place over expanding the World Cup to 64 teams for the centenary edition in 2030.
