World Cup sets all-time attendance record, surpassing 1994 mark

The 2026 World Cup on Thursday became the best-attended in the tournament's history, surpassing the 1994 record of nearly 3.6 million spectators, FIFA said.

The announcement came during the second half of Germany's match against Ecuador in East Rutherford, NJ, as jumbotrons flashed with the new all-time high - 3,605,357 - to uproarious applause.

With 48 matches remaining in the World Cup, total attendance could conceivably nearly double the 1994 record, which came during an era in which the World Cup contained only 52 matches. Stadiums have been more than 99 per cent full on average.

Well-documented high ticket prices, along with President Donald Trump's administration travel restrictions on certain nations, mean there may be many people who wished to be at the tournament but could not attend, said economist Victor Matheson, a sports business expert at the College of the Holy Cross.

But there were plenty of fans ready to take their spots. "Americans ... want to be there for the big moments," said Dan Rascher, a sports economics expert at the University of San Francisco.