Countdown 2026 World Cup Already turned on! Each day leading up to the event’s return to North America, Yahoo Sports will highlight an insight or moment that shows just how big the world’s biggest sporting event has become—even beyond the expanded venues for this year’s global event.
If you want to understand the scale of the World Cup, start with the crowds.
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The 1994 World Cup still holds the attendance record, with 3,587,538 spectators filling stadiums across the United States that summer. The record was witnessed by a crowd of 94,194 at the Rose Bowl final in Greater Los Angeles, where Brazil defeated Italy in a dramatic penalty shootout.
This is definitely not a one-off.
Each of the past four World Cups has attracted more than 3 million live fans. The total attendance at the 2014 Brazil Olympics was 3,441,450, the closest number to the 1994 United States Games.
For sheer spectacle, there’s nothing like the most spectacular crowd in football history. The 1950 final between Uruguay and Brazil drew an estimated 173,850 fans to Rio de Janeiro’s legendary Maracana Stadium.
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Only two other individual World Cup matches have attracted more than 100,000 fans. The 1986 final drew 114,600 spectators at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City to watch Argentina beat West Germany.
Back in 1970, a group match drew 108,192 fans to the Estadio Azteca to watch Mexico defeat Belgium 1-0.
These numbers sound almost impossible. But wherever the World Cup goes, the crowds follow.