FIFA has underlined that the World Cup Qatar 2022, the first edition of the FIFA World Cup to be hosted in the Middle East, has presented an array of groundbreaking facts and figures as group stage wraps up. The report highlighted a cumulative stadium attendance of 2.45 million spectators.
That equals an average of 96 percent occupancy and is higher than the corresponding 2.17 million figure for the 2018 edition. The highest attendance in the history of the FIFA World Cup since the 1994 final was seen at Lusail Stadium, where 88,966 fans witnessed the Argentina vs Mexico match.
On the pitch, the FIFA World Cup has faithfully reflected football’s increased competitiveness, as for the first time ever, teams from all continents have advanced to the round of 16.
Likewise, three teams from the AFC (Australia, Japan and Korea Republic) have reached the knockout stages-a competition record for the Asian confederation- which previously only had two, in 2002 and 2010. Equally remarkably, for the second time, two African teams (Senegal and Morocco) have reached the knockout stages,the last occasion being in 2014, FIFA said. page 7
