36 million people tuned in to watch Japan play Costa Rica, and USA vs England was the most-watched men’s football match in American television history.
The governing body for football, FIFA, said on Saturday that more than 2.45 million people attended the Qatar 2022 World Cup’s first 48 matches, while teams from five confederations made it to the round of 16.
FIFA said in the report that the number of matches during the group stages of this year’s tournament was higher than the number of matches during the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
The match between Argentina and Mexico at Lusail Stadium had the highest attendance of 88,996 people out of all the first-round matches The final will be played at Lusail.
More than one million people visited the FIFA Fan Festival in Doha, where fans can come together to watch live matches during the tournament. This was the innovation introduced during the 2006 World Cup in Germany.
Saudi Arabia has topped the list of most visitors to date, with 77,000 people. India comes in second place, with 56,893 visitors.
Qatar said before the beginning of Qatar 2022 on November 20 that it expected more than one million visitors.
Japan’s victory over Costa Rica drew 36 million television viewers, making it the most-viewed sporting event in Japan. USA vs England, in which England prevailed, was the most-watched men’s football game in US television history.
FIFA says that this year was the first time teams from all continents participated in the round of 16 knockout stages since 2002.
FIFA noted that this is the first time that two African teams have advanced to the knockout stage, noting that the only other time came in 2014 when Algeria and Nigeria did so.
In their opening match, Senegal drew with Ecuador and the Netherlands in Group A, while Morocco topped their group after defeating Belgium and Canada.
According to the report, the fact that three Asian nations qualified for the round of 16 in the World Cup for the first time is significant.
