FIFA World Cup 2026: USA records highest WC attendance in history, says FIFA
New York, July 5
FIFA said the United States has registered the highest combined attendance of any host nation in FIFA World Cup history, highlighting the country's growing passion for football during the ongoing 2026 tournament.
In a post on X marking the Fourth of July, football's world governing body said the United States had surpassed all previous World Cup hosts in total attendance.
"The USA has the highest combined attendance (8,008,212) of any FIFA World Cup host nation in history. On the Fourth of July, we celebrate the country's immense love of football!" FIFA wrote on X.
The attendance milestone comes as the United States co-hosts the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico, with stadiums across the country drawing large crowds throughout the tournament.
Meanwhile, France booked their place in the FIFA World Cup 2026 quarterfinals for the fourth successive edition after edging past Paraguay 1-0 in their Round of 16 encounter in Philadelphia on Saturday. The victory keeps Les Bleus on course for a third consecutive appearance in the World Cup final.
Earlier in the day, Morocco became the first team to secure a spot in the quarterfinals with a commanding 3-0 victory over co-hosts Canada in Houston. The Atlas Lions, who created history by finishing fourth at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, reached the last eight for the second time in their history.
Azzedine Ounahi starred for Morocco with a brace, while Soufiane Rahimi added the third goal to complete an impressive win. The result continued Morocco's remarkable rise on the global stage and set up a quarterfinal showdown with France.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Love seeing Morocco's rise! 🇲🇦 They were the darlings of Asian-Africa during 2022, and now reaching quarterfinals again. France vs Morocco will be a cracker, but sad to see Canada go out as co-hosts. Meanwhile, USA showing the world they can do big events properly! Wish India had such stadiums and passion for football.
Impressive numbers, but let's not forget that US stadiums are massive compared to most countries. Still, kudos to American football culture evolving. As an Indian, I'm just jealous of their sporting infrastructure! We have the population, just need the willpower and investment.
France vs Morocco rematch from 2022 semifinals! 😍 That's going to be epic. But honestly, FIFA keeps hyping US attendance—of course they'll have high numbers with such big stadiums. Meanwhile, Canada got thrashed 3-0 by Morocco. Co-hosts disappointment everywhere except USA. India should take notes on how to organize tournaments!
As an American, I'm proud of our attendance record! 🇺🇸 Football (soccer) is really catching on here. But I wish the article mentioned more about the actual matches—France scraping by Paraguay 1-0 is a snoozefest compared to Morocco's dominant performance. That said, India should absolutely host a World Cup someday. You guys have the passion!
Another World Cup, another set of numbers to inflate FIFA's ego. Sure, 8 million is impressive, but how many of those tickets were sold to tourists and corporations? The real story should be Morocco's rise—Africa's pride!
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.