FIFA World Cup Viewership: Which Year Had the Most?

The FIFA World Cup, the pinnacle of football tournaments, is watched by people across the globe. According to Statista, the average attendance at World Cup matches in stadiums, from 1986 in Mexico to 2018 in Russia, ranged from 40,000 to over 50,000 spectators.

A total of 3.03 million people watched the 2018 World Cup matches live in the stadiums. The average attendance at World Cup matches that year reached 47,371.

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The number of spectators who watched live in the stadiums at the Brazil World Cup was higher, reaching 3.43 million people from 64 matches. This means the average attendance per match was 53,592, the highest average since the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

Estádio do Maracanã in Rio de Janeiro was the largest stadium at the 2014 World Cup with a capacity of 76,804. This arena was originally built for the 1950 FIFA World Cup in Brazil and renovated in preparation for the 2014 tournament. This stadium hosted seven matches, including the final between Germany and Argentina on July 13, 2014. The 1994 World Cup holds the record for the highest number of spectators, 3.57 million, and the highest average attendance of 68,626.

The first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930, was attended by 13 teams and a total of 18 matches were played. The number of participating teams continued to increase until 1982 when the number reached 24, with a total of 52 matches played.

The tournament expanded to its current format in France 1998 when 32 teams from 5 confederations qualified for the finals and played a total of 64 matches. The average number of goals scored per match at the 2014 World Cup was 2.7, up from 2.23 goals at the previous World Cup in South Africa in 2010. The highest average was achieved in Switzerland in 1954 with an average of 5.38 goals scored per match.

Here's the total World Cup attendance from 1930-2018: