LOS ANGELES, CA – The 2026 World Cup has officially rewritten soccer history, shattering the tournament’s all-time attendance records during the group stage with millions of fans filling stadiums across North America.
Historic Crowds Across the Continent
FIFA announced that exactly 4,644,549 fans attended the first 72 matches of the tournament, which concluded its group stage on Sunday. This easily surpasses the previous all-time record of 3.5 million set during the 1994 World Cup in the United States.
The massive turnout is partly due to the tournament’s expansion to a record 48 teams, meaning more matches and more countries competing than ever before.
Los Angeles At The Center Of World Cup Fever
Southern California has been a massive driver of this historic attendance. SoFi Stadium (referred to as Los Angeles Stadium during the event) has already hosted five high-profile matches, drawing packed crowds to the Inglewood venue.
The local excitement is far from over, as the stadium is scheduled to host three more critical matches during the newly entered “knockout stage.”
What’s Next for Local Fans?
As the high-stakes single-elimination games begin, West Coast soccer fans have two major upcoming matchups to look forward to:
- July 1: Team USA will take on Bosnia and Herzegovina up north in the San Francisco Bay Area.
- July 2: Spain will face Austria right here at Los Angeles Stadium.
Mind-Boggling Stats From the Group Stage
- Highest Attendance: The June 11 opening match between Mexico and South Africa at Mexico City Stadium set an all-time record with roughly 201,500 fans in a single game.
- Concession Craze: Fans packed a massive appetite, consuming around 300,000 hot dogs in just 17 days. According to FIFA, if lined up end-to-end, those hot dogs would stretch 28 miles.
With the knockout rounds officially underway, local officials expect tourism and stadium attendance to reach even higher peaks over the coming weeks.
