FIFA World Cup: 88,966 fans watched Argentina-Mexico game in stadium, biggest crowd in 28 years

For reasons mainly related to on-field football, Argentina vs Mexico match on Saturday will be remembered for good. However, something else also made headlines other than Lionel Messi’s inspired performance that help his team gain three pointsat the Lusail stadium. According to FIFA, a total of 88,966 fans watched the Group C match inside the stadium on Saturday night – marking it as the largest attendance recorded at a World Cup game in 28 years.

The Lusail Stadium, located in the north of Doha, which is also the venue for the final on December 18, hosted the most people at the World Cup game since the 1994 finale in the United States. Then, a total of 91,194 spectators had watched the Brazil vs Italy final at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, which Brazil won in a penalty shootout.

Even with this number – Saturday’s attendance figures do not even rank among the top 30 largest attendance ever recorded in a World Cup game. Much to everyone’s surprise, the largest crowd ever recorded was a mammoth 173,850 during Uruguay vs Brazil final at the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro in 1950 – a contest Uruguay won 2-1. Other famous stadiums that feature on this top 30 list include Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, Wembley Stadium in London, and Camp Nou in Barcelona.

On Saturday night, when the whole of Argentina wanted a hero to guide them through, Lionel Messi stepped up. In a do-or-die clash against Mexico in a Group C match, the Argentinean legend scored one goal and assisted one to inspire his team to win 2-0. With this win, Argentina stays alive in the Qatar World Cup after losing their opener to Saudi Arabia 1-2 in a shocking manner.

Argentina will next face Poland on Thursday, December 1st. For them to ensure a ticket to the knockout stage, Argentina will need to beat Poland.

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