The group stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup is now behind us, but before giving way to the knockout round, it set a record that will be hard to match. The first edition of the tournament featuring 48 teams set new attendance records and confirmed that the event is already the largest in football history.
In just 17 days of competition, following the first 72 matches played across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, a total of 4,644,549 fans attended the stadiums—an unprecedented figure for this stage of the tournament.
The World Cup’s growth was not limited to the stands. The expansion to 48 teams brought together 1,248 players from 48 countries, 999 of whom played during the group stage, cementing this edition’s historic status in terms of its scope and international representation.
The fan experience also reached unprecedented levels. The largest-ever FIFA Fan Festival has welcomed 5.5 million visitors so far, reflecting the tournament’s impact beyond the stadiums.
Among the figures illustrating the magnitude of the championship, one curious statistic stands out: 300,000 hot dogs were consumed during the group stage. According to FIFA, if all of them were lined up in a straight line, they would span approximately the 45 kilometers separating the New York-New Jersey Stadium from JFK International Airport.
With attendance records, an unprecedented global audience, and historic participation by national teams and players, the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues to write a new chapter in football history. Now, with the Round of 16 just around the corner, the tournament aims to continue breaking records and cement its place as the biggest edition ever held.
