The FIFA World Cup 2026 saw some unforgettable football played, record attendances and historic moments on the pitch. The global administrative body, on Monday, released striking figures behind the organisation of the largest event of the sporting calendar this year, which was held in three countries across 39 days, involving 16 host cities, 48 team base camps and 645 official sites.
Nearly 300,000 accredited personnel supported tournament operations as 1,248 players competed in front of a cumulative stadium attendance of more than 6.8 million fans. What supporters experienced as a seamless celebration of football was underpinned by one of the most extensive logistical and operational mobilisations ever assembled.
Behind the scenes, more than 43,000 volunteers, 73,700 accredited security personnel and a FIFA workforce representing 104 nationalities helped deliver 104 matches safely and successfully. Security operations alone involved more than one million shifts, while accreditation systems processed over five million scans across tournament sites.
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The event’s technological and media footprint was equally unprecedented. The International Broadcast Centre in Dallas functioned as a media city in its own right, accommodating thousands of personnel and supporting coverage of every match. Throughout the tournament, production teams deployed 5,000 cameras, produced more than 24,000 content items and captured the action for audiences around the world.
Across the 39-day competition, nearly 675,000 hot dogs were sold inside stadiums – enough to stretch approximately 135 kilometres if placed end to end, the equivalent of laying out more than 1,350 football pitches in a single line. Supporters also consumed more than 4.6 million soft drinks and bottled waters and over 5.5 million beers during the tournament.
The scale of fan engagement extended far beyond the stadium gates. FIFA Fan Festivals welcomed more than nine million visitors across North America, while FIFA’s Know Before You Go communications programme distributed more than 2,300 WhatsApp messages and 7.7 million emails to help supporters navigate the tournament experience.
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Published on Jul 27, 2026