FIFA counts 4.6 million World Cup fans.

FIFA confirmed that the 2026 World Cup set new records during the group stage, under its expanded format, including attendance rates and the number of goals scored; which is not surprising.

FIFA stated in a statement that the 72 group stage matches saw an attendance of 4,644,549 fans, an increase of nearly one million spectators compared to the 1994 World Cup in the United States, which had a total attendance of 3,587,538 fans.

However, the 1994 edition featured only 24 teams and had 52 matches, which is half the number of teams and matches compared to the current edition hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico with 48 teams participating.

Despite this, the average attendance per match is still higher in the 1994 edition, with 68,991 spectators, compared to 64,508 spectators in the current tournament matches so far.

The tournament also saw 215 goals scored during the group stage, a new record with an average of three goals per match, according to FIFA. For comparison, the 2022 World Cup, which featured 32 teams, recorded 179 goals in 64 matches, averaging 2.8 goals per match.

So far, 999 players representing the 48 teams have participated in the tournament, before Canada’s captain Alphonso Davies became the 1000th player in the tournament, after coming on as a substitute in his country's match against South Africa in the Round of 32 yesterday.

FIFA also revealed figures related to sales within the stadiums, with 2.8 million cups of beer sold, nearly one million bottles of water, and 300,000 hot dogs for the fans.

The official fan zones in the three host countries attracted more than 5.5 million visitors, who consumed over two million alcoholic beverages, along with nearly two million soft drinks.