A Fort Worth resident was recognized by FIFA as the 50 millionth fan in World Cup history to attend a tournament match after passing through the gates at Dallas Stadium for Monday’s Round of 16 showdown between Spain and Portugal.
Immy Khan, a Fort Worth resident whose family is originally from Pakistan, received the honor during Spain’s 1-0 victory over Portugal before a crowd of 70,649. The match was Khan’s ninth game of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
To commemorate the milestone, FIFA legends Carles Puyol of Spain and Portugal’s Pepe presented Khan with an oversized ceremonial ticket.
“It’s the beautiful game. We love supporting FIFA, we love supporting the United States, Spain, Portugal, all the beautiful cities in Canada, United States and Mexico,” Khan said in a FIFA news release. “We’re here for the FIFA World Cup, we’re here for FIFA, and we’re here to celebrate the beautiful game of football.”
Historic Attendance Milestone
FIFA said total attendance across all World Cup tournaments since the inaugural competition in 1930 reached 50,020,653 following Monday’s match.
The 2026 tournament, jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, has attracted 6,071,923 fans through 93 matches, with 11 games remaining.
“What an incredible experience! We’re blessed to be hosting so many incredible visitors, welcoming us to the city of Dallas, the city of Fort Worth,” Khan said. “What a great city to be the 50 millionth fan.”
Texas at the Center of World Cup
Although Khan supported Spain during Monday’s match, he arrived wearing United States gear ahead of the U.S. men’s national team’s Round of 16 match against Belgium scheduled for later that same day. He said U.S. midfielder Weston McKennie is his favorite player in the tournament.
“The tournament’s been great. We’ve been to nine games so far. The hospitality, the facilities, the guest services, the matches – on the field, off the field, everything has been great,” Khan said. “We’re so blessed to have all of these visitors to the United States, to Canada, to Mexico. FIFA – what an incredible organisation.”
Khan said one of his favorite aspects of the tournament has been watching fans from around the world come together.
“Football uniting the world is about bringing people of different backgrounds, different cultures, different ethnicities to the United States, to Mexico, to Canada, to travel across the world to unite and celebrate the great game of football,” he said.
Dallas Stadium Nears End of Tournament
Dallas Stadium is scheduled to host one more World Cup match — a semifinal on July 14. The winner of that contest will advance to the World Cup final on July 19 at New York New Jersey Stadium.
Khan said he plans to continue following the tournament through its conclusion.
“I can’t wait to see…the semi-finals and the final in New York (New Jersey) Stadium,” he said.
Provided by Dallas Express
