FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Attendance figures stand at 94% after first round of group stage

After the first round of FIFA World Cup group stage matches was completed, official figures show that the average overall match attendance stood at 94 per cent compared to stadium capacities for the event.

According to the sporting event’s website, all 32 nations have taken to the field, and more than three million tickets sold for the tournament – the strong attendance figures also follow the recent news that the preliminary comparable television viewing figures are up in nations across the world from the previous FIFA World Cup edition.

The highest match attendance of the tournament so far was the game at Lusail Stadium on November 24, with 88,103 there to see Brazil beat Serbia 2-0. On the same day, the FIFA Fan Festival in Doha’s Al Bidda Park also achieved its highest accumulative attendance, with a total of 98,000 fans throughout the day.

FIFA also clarified the official capacities and tournament requirements for each of the eight stadiums hosting games at the 22nd edition of the tournament. It was confirmed that capacities for Qatar’s state-of-the-art stadium are in line – and in fact above – the requirements provided by FIFA.

While FIFA requests that venues hosting the final match, opening game and semi-finals can host a minimum of 80,000 and 60,000 spectators respectively, Lusail Stadium can hold 88,966 spectators, while Al Bayt Stadium can host up to 68,895 fans. For all other matches, a minimum 40,000-seater capacity is required, with the demountable Stadium 974 being the most compact of all Qatar 2022 venues (44,089).