Which 2026 World Cup stadium had the best average attendance? It wasn’t MetLife or AT&T

The 2026 World Cup has come to an end after a record-breaking tournament across 16 stadiums in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

With the competition expanded to 48 teams for the first time, millions of supporters packed into venues throughout North America.

While the final at MetLife Stadium attracted global attention and AT&T Stadium hosted more matches than any other venue, neither finished top when it came to average attendance.

Instead, that honour belonged to one of football's most iconic stadiums.

Which 2026 World Cup stadium had the highest average attendance?

According to Sports Business Journal, a total of 6,811,413 supporters attended the 104 matches played during the 2026 World Cup, making it the best-attended tournament in the competition's history.

Although MetLife welcomed the highest total number of fans, with 645,186 spectators across eight matches, it was Estadio Azteca that recorded the highest average attendance.

Mexico City's famous and iconic stadium attracted 404,120 fans across its five fixtures, averaging 80,824 spectators per match.

MetLife wasn't far behind, averaging 80,648 across its eight games, while AT&T Stadium in Arlington hosted the most matches of any venue with nine but finished behind both in terms of average crowd.

Another impressive statistic came from overall occupancy.

Estadio Azteca and Vancouver's BC Place were the only two venues to operate at 100% of available capacity throughout the tournament, although every one of the 16 host stadiums exceeded 99% capacity, highlighting the extraordinary demand for tickets.

What do the 2026 World Cup attendance figures tell us?

The success of the 2026 World Cup will only strengthen FIFA's belief that expanding the tournament from 32 to 48 teams was the right decision.

The larger format brought more nations, more supporters and more matches, yet stadiums remained virtually full throughout the tournament.

That is particularly impressive given the enormous geographical spread across three host countries and 16 different venues.

FGG says: A fitting stadium to hold the 2026 World Cup crown

It is rather fitting that Estadio Azteca topped the average attendance rankings.

Football's most historic World Cup stadium once again proved its enduring appeal, filling every available seat despite hosting fewer games than MetLife or AT&T Stadium.

If FIFA were looking for evidence that supporters will continue to embrace larger World Cups, the attendance figures from 2026 provide exactly that.