With the group stage still going strong, FIFA has already set an all-time World Cup attendance record, and Philadelphia has been a major part of that.
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Following Thursday’s slate of games in Matchday No. 3, FIFA set an attendance record of 3,605,357 fans representing the 48 nations taking part in this year’s expanded tournament. The mark passed FIFA’s previous all-time mark of 3,587,538 fans, a record set the last time a tournament came to the United States in 1994.
Philly’s place in all of it hasn’t gone unnoticed as the mark was set during the city’s fourth match on Thursday between the Ivory Coast and Curacao, which had an announced attendance of 68,324. Across the four matches, Lincoln Financial Field, renamed Philadelphia Stadium for the World Cup, has welcomed 273,296 fans — an appropriate 7.6% of the total.
3,605,357@FIFAWorldCup 2026 is the highest attended tournament in history! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/ieDaDMJb3b
— FIFA (@FIFAcom) June 25, 2026
“This was incredible, the whole experience is a memory,” said Mustafa Al-Hasani, a fan from Iowa who attended Monday’s rain-delayed Group I match between France and Iraq. Despite the rain, Al-Hasani lauded both the stadium and the city’s hospitality. “Philly’s great, I’ve been here before, but this is an experience I don’t think I’ll ever forget.”
FIFA’s all-time attendance record being surpassed was an inevitability, given this current tournament is also the largest World Cup in history, with an expanded field of 48 nations, up from the historical 32, vying for the top prize of competing in the July 19 final.
FIFA’s increase in the number of nations involved also means more matches and venues. For this World Cup, 104 games are being played in 16 stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico over the monthlong event.
However, with it being just 14 days into the tournament, this also sets the standard going forward for the fastest FIFA has ever reached an all-time attendance record.
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According to FIFA, stadium capacities have been at an all-time high and here in Philadelphia, all four matches have been an announced 68,324, which is capacity at the Linc. Soccer’s world governing body notes that at this rate, this edition of the World Cup is pacing to set the highest stadium occupancy in tournament history rate, which currently stands at 99.7%.
That’s a remarkable number when you also consider that, with FIFA enacting a dynamic pricing model for the first time in tournament history, ticket prices have never been higher, including some seats listed in the thousands in the lower confines of stadiums.
Philadelphia has just two more matches as Croatia will face Ghana in Group L play on Saturday (5 p.m., FS1), before a week off culminates with the final game, a knockout game between a pair of nations still to be determined, in the Round of 16 on July 4.
In this World Cup, underdogs are stealing the spotlight, the U.S. men are on a roll, and Philadelphia has not only welcomed the world but has given visitors a crash course on just how real the curse of the Rocky Statue can be.
Join Jonathan Tannenwald, the Inquirer’s soccer writer, and host Lisa Carlin, analyst for CBS Sports Golazo, as they dissect the matches, the moments, and more as Philly has its moment in soccer’s brightest spotlight. Watch our latest episode right here.
Watch previous episodes:
Episode 1: The Wait is Over!
Episode 2: Groups, Goals, and Glory
Episode 3: Electric Action in Philly
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