By Stonix News Sports Desk
THE 2026 World Cup has smashed all previous attendance and television viewership records, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino declaring that the expanded 48-team tournament has “exceeded all expectations”.
With over 6.6 million fans packing stadiums across the United States, Canada and Mexico before Saturday’s third-place play-off and Sunday’s final, the competition has eclipsed the previous attendance record of 3.59 million set in the United States back in 1994.
Media outlets have since calculated a final figure of 6.81 million spectators across the 104 matches, though official numbers from FIFA are yet to be confirmed.
Stadiums were filled to an astonishing 99.7 per cent of capacity, with an average attendance of 65,351 per match, despite ongoing grumblings over high ticket prices.
“This is the largest World Cup in history by far, welcoming 16 additional teams,” Infantino said on Friday. “It has exceeded all expectations.”
The financial figures are equally staggering. FIFA anticipates record revenues exceeding seven billion euros (eight billion dollars) for 2026, representing a 56 per cent increase compared to the 2022 tournament in Qatar.
Television viewership has been nothing short of monumental. While FIFA has yet to release detailed numbers, US President Donald Trump suggested during a press conference that the tournament had attracted “nearly six billion viewers”.
The 2022 final between Argentina and France previously held the record as the most-watched match in World Cup history, drawing 1.5 billion viewers. That figure is now expected to be surpassed comfortably.
FIFA also revealed that by the end of the round of 16, an estimated 5.2 billion people – nearly two-thirds of the global population – had engaged with the competition at least once across social media and digital platforms.
The tournament’s financial muscle was underscored by a total prize pool of 871 million dollars, up from 440 million dollars in Qatar, with the winners – Spain – set to collect 50 million dollars for their triumph.
Each participating nation was guaranteed a minimum of 12.5 million dollars, though concerns remain that this may not fully offset the significantly higher costs associated with the tournament’s vast geographical spread across three host nations.
Looking ahead, Infantino revealed that discussions have already taken place regarding a potential expansion to 64 teams for the tournament’s centenary in 2030, which will be held across Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.
“This matter has been submitted to the FIFA Council,” Infantino confirmed to Brazilian television.
With television rights projected to rise by 34 per cent to nearly four billion dollars and sponsorship revenues up by 21 per cent, football’s governing body appears bullish about the sport’s continued global growth.
One quarter of FIFA’s 3.7 billion dollars expenditure on the tournament was allocated to participating national teams and the clubs releasing their international players – a significant investment in the beautiful game’s future.
Additional reporting by AFP
