Baghdad: The 2026 FIFA World Cup has shattered previous attendance records with its expanded format featuring 48 teams. FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that television viewership far surpassed past records. He emphasized that the expanded tournament, which included 16 more teams than previous editions, "exceeded all expectations."
According to National Iraqi News Agency, FIFA had anticipated record revenues exceeding seven billion euros (eight billion dollars) for the 2026 World Cup, a 56% increase from the 2022 edition in Qatar. Before the third-place match and final, FIFA recorded over 6.6 million fans across stadiums in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. After Spain's victory over Argentina, media estimated total attendance across 104 matches at around 6.81 million spectators, with official figures yet to be released. The tournament saw a record stadium capacity of 99.7%, despite high ticket prices, with an average match attendance of 65,351.
FIFA mentioned that "television viewership records were shattered globally." While detailed figures are pending, US President Donald Trump highlighted "nearly six billion viewers" across various platforms, a number expected to rise. The 2022 World Cup final in Qatar had been the most-watched, with 1.5 billion viewers, surpassing the 2018 final's 1.12 billion. For the 2026 edition, television broadcasting rights revenue was projected to increase by 34%, approaching $4 billion, with sponsorship revenue rising by 21%.
FIFA also noted the tournament's immense success on social media, estimating that by the Round of 16, 5.2 billion people had engaged with the event at least once. Of the $3.7 billion FIFA planned to spend on the World Cup, a significant portion was allocated to participating teams and clubs releasing their players. Prize money was increased by 15% to $871 million, with the winning team set to receive $50 million. Each participating team was guaranteed at least $12.5 million, though this might not cover expenses due to the tournament's expanded reach.
In an interview at the start of the World Cup, Infantino discussed the potential expansion to 64 teams for the 2030 edition, to be held in multiple countries, coinciding with the tournament's centenary. He stated that this proposal has been referred to the FIFA Council.