More than a million visitors visited Qatar during the 2022 World Cup, which started on November 20 and ended on Sunday, and 3.4 million fans attended the matches in the stadiums, Fifa announced on Monday .
The Qatari press agency QNA recorded 3,404,252 spectators, the third highest attendance for a football World Cup, behind the United States in 1994 (3,587,538) and Brazil in 2014 (3,429,873). According to QNA, 2,457,059 people attended the group stage matches, 411,609 in the round of 16, 245,221 in the quarters and 157,260 in the semi-finals.
The final, won by Argentina against France on penalties (3-3 ap, 4-2 pens) brought together 88,966 spectators, the maximum capacity of the Lusail stadium, and the match for third place brought together 44,137 supporters .
The average occupancy rate of the stadiums is 96.3%, indicates Fifa, while the stands appeared sparse during certain matches of the group stage. The total number of visitors announced the day after the end of the tournament corresponds to the latest estimates from the organizers, who had initially estimated this number at more than 1.2 million.
Neighboring Saudi Arabia, India, the United States, the United Kingdom and Mexico were the most represented nations, according to world football’s governing body.
Initially restricted to match ticket holders only, the conditions for entering the country were gradually relaxed before and during the tournament.