Germany's World Cup printable bracket with opponents and dates on path to final
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The Germans are trying to come out on top.
The 2026 World Cup set an all-time record for tournament attendance, FIFA, the organizing body of the international event, said late Sunday.
A total of 4,644,549 fans have attended a 2026 World Cup game, a full million more than the 3,587,538 who attended the 1994 World Cup, the last time the international event was hosted in the United States.
The U.S.’s capacity to host bigger crowds helped smash attendance records.
The last World Cup in 2022 was hosted in the small Gulf country of Qatar, with a total of 3,404,252 attendees.
How many attendees have there been at FIFA tournaments since 1994. Sophia Mandt/Washington Examiner
" data-large-file="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Number-of-Attendees-at-Every-World-Cup, e1782759911826.png?w=696" src="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Number-of-Attendees-at-Every-World-Cup-.png?w=696" alt="Line graph of attendees at FIFA since 1994" class="wp-image-4629215">How many attendees have there been at FIFA tournaments since 1994. Sophia Mandt/Washington Examiner
This year’s World Cup has also made history by featuring 48 countries, an increase from the previous 32-team format. Spanning 16 host cities, the massive event features 104 matches, with the final scheduled for July 19.
Individual players broke records, in addition to organization-wide ones.
Argentina’s Lionel Messi became the highest-scoring goal scorer in FIFA World Cup history, with a total of 19 goals across his six tournaments. Messi also became the first player in World Cup history to score in seven consecutive appearances, surpassing the previous record of German Miroslav Klose, who had scored 16 goals across four tournaments.
Famed Portuguese player Cristiano Ronaldo also made World Cup history by becoming the first player ever to score in six different World Cups. Still active at 41 years old, Ronaldo has scored in the 2006, 2010, 2014, 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cups.
Meanwhile, Brazil continued its long-running streak as the only country to appear at every FIFA World Cup since the inaugural competition in 1930.
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FIFA said packed stadiums have already sold 2.8 million beers, nearly 1 million water bottles, and 300,000 hot dogs.
This year’s World Cup is being co-hosted by the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.