What was the highest attended match of the opening round of the 2026 World Cup?

The 2026 World Cup promised record‑breaking crowds, and the opening round delivered exactly that.

According to our 2026 World Cup attendance tracker, the highest-attended match of the opening round was Mexico's 2-0 victory over South Africa at the Estadio Azteca that kicked off the tournament on June 11th.

The official attendance of 80,824 is the largest crowd recorded so far at the 2026 World Cup, placing the iconic Mexico City venue at the top of the tournament's attendance rankings after the first round of group-stage fixtures.

A record crowd in Mexico City

The figure comes as little surprise, given the significance of both the stadium and the occasion.

The Estadio Azteca became the first venue in history to host matches at three men's World Cups, while Mexico's status as tournament hosts ensured huge demand for tickets.

The packed crowd witnessed an ideal start for the home side. Julian Quinones opened the scoring after just nine minutes before veteran striker Raul Jimenez sealed the victory with his first World Cup goal.

The match was also notable for producing three red cards, with South Africa's Yaya Sithole and Themba Zwane dismissed alongside Mexico defender Cesar Montes.

Colombia vs Uzbekistan on June 17th was also a sell-out, but given the nature of the occasion and sheer volume of home support outside the venue, Mexico vs Czechia just gets the nod.

Can the 2026 World Cup attendance record be broken?

While 80,824 is currently the benchmark, several matches later in the tournament could challenge the figure.

Fixtures involving the host nations and the knockout rounds at major venues such as SoFi Stadium and MetLife Stadium are expected to attract enormous crowds.

For now, however, Mexico's opening-night victory remains the best-attended match of the 2026 World Cup and the standout crowd from the tournament's opening round.