Size does matter: The mega-sized World Cup is officially a statistical powerhouse

MUNICH, June 29 — The expanded World Cup has delivered a statistical bonanza in the group stage, with Fifa reporting record-breaking figures across attendance, goals and fan consumption.

Fifa said the 72 group-stage matches drew 4,644,549 fans, surpassing the 3,587,538 recorded at the 1994 World Cup in the United States.

“However, with 24 teams and 52 matches in total that tournament had half the number of teams and matches than this edition in the US, Canada and Mexico.”

Average attendance in 1994 remains higher at 68,991, compared with 64,508 so far in the current tournament.

“The 215 goals scored are also a record for an average of three per game, Fifa said.”

By comparison, the 2022 World Cup in Qatar saw 179 goals across 64 matches, averaging 2.8 per game.

The tournament has also seen 999 players used, with Canada captain Alphonso Davies becoming the 1,000th player when he came off the bench in their last-32 win over South Africa.

Fifa also reported 2.8 million beers, nearly one million bottles of water and about 300,000 hot dogs sold inside stadiums.

Fan zones across the three host countries have drawn more than 5.5 million visitors, who consumed over 2 million alcoholic drinks and nearly 2 million soft drinks. — Bernama-dpa