FIFA has reported that more than one million fans attended the opening 16 matches of the World Cup in North America, with stadiums recording an average occupancy rate of 99.34%.
According to data cited by FIFA, a total of 1,028,429 fans were present up to and including Monday, despite earlier concerns over ticket pricing and visible empty seats at some fixtures.
Questions over attendance emerged following matches such as South Korea versus the Czech Republic in Guadalajara and Qatar versus Switzerland in the Bay Area, where sections of empty seating were observed.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino highlighted the milestone on social media, sharing a post featuring the tournament’s one millionth fan, Aaron Bren.
“A huge thank you to all our passionate supporters who continue to fill the stadiums – you have brought the most inclusive FIFA World Cup to life,” Infantino wrote.
However, concerns have also been raised over crowd management and ticket distribution. Football Supporters Europe executive director Ronan Evain warned of risks linked to limited segregation at matches.
“The absence of segregation is not normal for a tournament like this,” he told BBC Sport.
“What is worrying is that FIFA doesn’t really know who has tickets here and there… by pushing so much for people to buy tickets and resell them.
“So the possibility – or the risk – to have fans from ‘Team A’ in the middle of the crowd of ‘Team B’ is stronger than ever before.”
FIFA sources have said that the most loyal supporters are placed within the ring-fenced “participant member association” ticket allocation to help manage fan distribution.
