After six days of action, the 2026 Fifa World Cup is on course to break all attendance and viewership records.
On Wednesday, Fifa announced that more than, one million fans had entered the stadium to watch the first 20 matches, and that more than 54 million North American viewers had tuned in to watch the opening matches featuring the host countries, Canada, Mexico, and the US.
This is the biggest edition yet, with 48 nations playing in 104 matches over six weeks to determine who will be crowned world champion for the next four years.
At the same time, Fifa announced that the tournament’s all-time daily attendance record had been broken.
Moments before the 2026 Fifa World Cup Group 'I' match between Senegal and France at the MetLife in New Jersey on June 16, 2026.
Photo credit: Charles Nyende | Nation Media Group
A total of 281,223 fans filled the stands for four group-stage matches – France versus Senegal, Iraq versus Norway, Argentina versus Algeria, and Austria versus Jordan – surpassing the previous daily attendance record of 277,070 set on June 28, 1994, in the USA. That day also featured four matches.
The total attendance for this year’s tournament is currently at 1,309,652, with an average of 65,483 fans attending each match, ahead of the final day of the first round of group matches on Wednesday.
The joint show by the USA, Canada and Mexico is on course to surpass the tournament’s all-time cumulative attendance record of 3.5 million, set at the 1994 FIFA World Cup, by the end of the group stage on June 27.
Fifa President Gianni Infantino said: “The US’s opening match against Paraguay was the most-watched Fifa World Cup match ever broadcast in the US, while more than 54 million people across Canada, Mexico, and the United States watched their respective nations’ opening matches, shattering records and showing how football is truly uniting the world.”
A general view inside the New Jersey Stadium during the FIFA World Cup 2026 - Group I match between Senegal and France on June 16, 2026.
Photo credit: Pawel Kopczynski
Despite the much-talked-about high-ticket prices, fans have turned out in large numbers for the games.
While demand for tickets remains high, Fifa encourages fans to regularly check availability at fifa.com/tickets.
The two matches held at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — Morocco versus Brazil on Sunday and France versus Senegal on Tuesday — were both fully attended, with over 80,000 fans in attendance.
With a seating capacity of 82,500, MetLife Stadium is the largest of the 16 venues and will host the final match on July 19.
The United States’ opening victory over Paraguay attracted an average audience of 27.5 million viewers across FOX and Telemundo, making it the most-watched World Cup match ever broadcast in the United States.
FOX recorded the most-watched World Cup match in the history of English-language broadcasting in the United States and the most-streamed USMNT match in English in the history of the tournament.
Mexico’s opening victory over South Africa also set new benchmarks. An average audience of 23.4 million viewers made the match the country’s most-watched World Cup game of the 21st century.
