The New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford hosts a 2026 North America World Cup group-stage match between Norway and Senegal. [AFP]
The New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford hosts a 2026 North America World Cup group-stage match between Norway and Senegal. [AFP]

The 2026 North America World Cup set a new single-day attendance record on June 22, drawing nearly 290,000 fans across four host cities.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced the milestone Monday local time on his social media, writing that "288,007 of the most passionate, loud and enthusiastic football fans filled Dallas, Philadelphia, New York New Jersey and San Francisco on June 22, proudly showing the colors of their nations." He added that the tournament had broken its own single-day attendance record for the second time. "Absolutely incredible," he wrote.

"Thank you for your continued support of the beautiful game," Infantino said. "Because of you, we were able to achieve this."

The Bay Area Stadium in San Francisco hosts a 2026 North America World Cup group-stage match between Jordan and Algeria. [Reuters]
The Bay Area Stadium in San Francisco hosts a 2026 North America World Cup group-stage match between Jordan and Algeria. [Reuters]

The June 22 matches featured four group-stage second-round fixtures: Argentina faced Austria in Group J at Dallas Stadium, while Jordan took on Algeria in the same group at Bay Area Stadium in San Francisco. In Philadelphia, France met Iraq in a Group I clash, and Norway played Senegal in the same group at New York New Jersey Stadium.

The record surpassed the previous single-day high of 281,223, set on June 16, which had itself broken a 32-year-old mark of 277,070 set at the 1994 US World Cup on June 28 of that year.

Despite some concerns over high ticket prices, the tournament has continued to draw near-capacity crowds throughout the competition.

According to Reuters, total attendance across the first 44 matches surpassed 2.85 million, with average stadium seat occupancy reaching about 99.6 percent.

This World Cup expanded from 64 to 104 matches, making it larger than any previous edition. The all-time tournament attendance record stands at approximately 3.6 million, set at the last US World Cup, and organizers expect the current edition to surpass that mark before the 64th match is played.


ygmoon@heraldcorp.com