A staggering 281,223 fans attended Tuesday's four World Cup matches, smashing the 32-year-old single-day tournament attendance record. This surpassed the previous mark of 277,070, set in the United States on 28 June 1994.The record-breaking day featured matches including France vs Senegal, Argentina vs Algeria, Austria vs Jordan, and Iraq vs Norway across various US venues.With 1,309,652 spectators attending the first six days, the tournament is on pace to exceed the 1994 cumulative record of 3.5 million, Fifa confirmed.Fifa president Gianni Infantino celebrated the milestone, stating: "Wow! 281,223 fans in Fifa World Cup stadiums today — the highest attended day in the history of the competition! 16 June 2026 will go down in Fifa World Cup history! “I cannot thank our fans enough for bringing color, atmosphere and emotions to this tournament. The most inclusive Fifa World Cup 2026 continues to show just how much our game is loved and how Football Unites The World!"Lionel Messi stole the show on Tuesday by scoring a hat-trick against Algeria (AP)The action-packed day also saw a hat-trick from Lionel Messi, alongside two goals each for Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland, as Argentina, France and Norway all recorded victories in their opening matches at the tournament.The World Cup attendance record comes amid a dispute over ticket prices, with Fifa facing fierce criticism prior to the tournament and once the World Cup got underway.Prime Minister Keir Starmer was particularly critical of football’s governing body, as he urged Fifa to not “rip-off” fans.Ahead of the World Cup, Starmer told The Sun: "Football fans should come first, that’s why I’m urging Fifa to take action to ensure people buying World Cup tickets are not ripped off."In less than a fortnight, thousands of passionate supporters will be making their way to the US, Canada and Mexico to cheer on England and Scotland. It is unacceptable for fans to be exploited for wanting to support their country on the biggest stage."It was noticeable that there were empty seats at a number of games early in the tournament, including South Korea vs Czechia on the first day.However, Fifa defended their attendance figures after that match, insisting that some supporters watched the game from the concourse instead.“Please note that, during last night’s match in Guadalajara, several ticketed fans could be seen standing in concourses rather than staying in their assigned seats throughout the match,” a statement from Fifa read on Friday.