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

While the tournament has produced huge crowds across North America, the smallest attendance of the opening round unsurprisingly came in Toronto.

Our 2026 World Cup attendance tracker has highlighted some huge crowds during the opening round of the tournament, with several matches attracting more than 70,000 supporters, with the Estadio Azteca and MetLife Stadium both hitting full capacity.

But at the other end of the scale, the tournament's lowest attendance came at Toronto's BMO Field, where 42,942 fans watched Ghana defeat Panama 1-0.

However, that figure requires some important context – despite ranking last in the attendance table, the match was effectively a sellout, with the crowd representing 99.8% of the stadium's World Cup capacity.

A near‑sellout in Toronto

Supporters inside BMO Field were treated to one of the most dramatic finishes of the opening round.

Panama looked set to earn a valuable point after frustrating Ghana for much of the contest. The Central Americans defended resolutely and matched their opponents physically throughout a tense and closely fought encounter.

Just as the game appeared destined to finish goalless, Ghana found a breakthrough deep into stoppage time. Brandon Thomas-Asante surged down the left wing before squaring the ball across the penalty area for Caleb Yirenkyi, who tapped home in the 95th minute.

The late winner sparked celebrations among the Ghana supporters and handed the four-time African champions a crucial three points to begin their World Cup campaign.

Why the attendance figure doesn’t tell the full story

Calling Ghana versus Panama the ‘lowest-attended' match of the opening round paints an incomplete picture, as BMO Field is the smallest stadium being used at the 2026 World Cup.

Even after expansion for the tournament, its capacity remains significantly lower than venues such as Estadio Azteca, MetLife Stadium and AT&T Stadium, all of which can accommodate more than 80,000 spectators.

As a result, Toronto is likely to feature near the bottom of the attendance rankings throughout the tournament regardless of ticket demand.

In reality, demand for this match was extremely strong. Only a handful of seats remained empty, creating a lively atmosphere inside a packed stadium on Toronto's waterfront.

So while 42,942 was the smallest crowd of the opening round, it was also one of the fullest stadiums of the tournament so far – proof that the raw attendance figures do not always tell the whole story.