According to official FIFA estimates, the 2026 World Cup is expected to attract around 6 billion people following the event around the world
After Costa Rica, the cup will pass through the 34 federations affiliated with Concacaf
With 48 participating teams, the tournament promises to be epic, held in three countries: Canada, Mexico and the United States. By January 2026, 42 teams have already been classified, with the last 6 places (4 from Europe via playoffs and 2 via intercontinental repechage) to be defined in March. FIFA always considers global representation, and an interesting fact is the total population of the countries already classified, which reflects the scope of the event.
Here is an updated analysis by confederation/continent of those classified so far:
- Headquarters (North America: Canada, Mexico and USA): Approximately 519 million inhabitants.
- Europe (UEFA): 12 classified (Austria, Belgium, Croatia, England, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Scotland, Spain and Switzerland), representing around 500 million people (and there are still 4 European places left).
- Asia (AFC): 8 classified (Australia, Iran, Japan, Jordan, South Korea, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Uzbekistan) — around 380 million.
- Africa (CAF): 9 classified (Algeria, Cape Verde, Ivory Coast, Egypt, Ghana, Morocco, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia) — approximately 360 million.
- CONCACAF (in addition to the headquarters): Curaçao, Haiti and Panama — small populations, totaling around 16-20 million.
- South America (CONMEBOL): 6 classified (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay) — around 340 million.
- Oceania (OFC): New Zealand — approximately 5 million.
Approximate total of the 42 countries classified: around 2 billion inhabitants! This represents a huge share of the world’s population, reinforcing the global character of the World Cup.
According to official FIFA estimates, the 2026 World Cup is expected to attract around 6 billion people watching the event around the world (via TV, streaming and other means) — which would make it the biggest sporting event in history in terms of global audience.
In the stadiums, the expectation is for 5 to 7 million in-person spectators over the 104 matches, surpassing all previous records for total attendance.
To conclude, it is worth noting that the highest average attendance per match in World Cups still belongs to the 1994 World Cup, in the United States: almost 69 thousand spectators per game (in 52 matches).
With modern stadiums and more games in 2026, the total attendance record will be easily broken, but the average per match will be an intriguing challenge!
*This text does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Jovem Pan.
