Overview
- FIFA confirmed late Thursday that cumulative attendance reached 3,605,357 during Germany’s group match with Ecuador at MetLife Stadium on June 25.
- The tournament also became the highest‑scoring edition, surpassing the previous goal mark of 172 and rising into the high 170s during group play.
- The expansion from 32 to 48 teams and an increase from 64 to 104 matches, together with oversized NFL and international stadiums, are the main drivers of the rapid rise in aggregate attendance.
- Organisers report stadium occupancy near 99.7 percent for played matches, even as fans and media have documented problems with visas, travel disruption, dynamic ticket pricing and local accommodation costs.
- The new total already tops the 1994 U.S. record and is expected to climb further through the knockouts, with some forecasts suggesting the final tally could exceed four million spectators.