The Maracanã stadium hosted the 2014 World Cup final won by Germany, and took the lead in terms of attendance at the 1950 World Cup in Brazil (Reuters)

Despite the great development of football and its huge modern stadiums, the matches that witnessed the largest and largest crowds in the history of the game were more than 70 years ago.

Football matches always attract large crowds of fans, however, in the 21st century, the highest average number of fans in stadiums, whether in European championships or even in the World Cup, ranges from 70,90 to <>,<> fans, but these numbers are not comparable to the incredible numbers in terms of mass attendance in the fifties of the last century and before, as some matches witnessed twice the current number of fans.

The lack of satellite channels and social networking sites – which enable fans to watch matches live from anywhere – in that era may have been the reason for the huge turnout we monitor.

The fourth edition of the 1950 FIFA World Cup, held in Brazil, especially the Maracanã stadium, had the lion's share of record mass matches, and the tournament was the first since the World Cup in France in 1938, after a 12-year hiatus due to World War II that swept the world, especially Europe.

Maracanã Stadium had the lion's share of record mass matches in the 1950 World Cup (Getty Images)

Here are the top 5 crowd matches in football history:

  • 5. Brazil 2-0 Yugoslavia (Maracanã Stadium in Brazil – 1950 World Cup) 142,429 fans.
  • 4. Celtic 2-1 Aberdeen (Hampden Park, Scotland – Scottish Cup Final 1937) 147,365 fans.
  • 3. Scotland 3-1 England (Hampden Park, Scotland – British Championship 1937) 149,547 fans.

Hampden Park Scotland (Geograph)

  • 2. Brazil 6-1 Spain (Maracanã Stadium, Brazil – 1950 World Cup) 152,722 fans.
  • 1. Brazil 1-2 Uruguay (Maracanã Stadium, Brazil – 1950 World Cup final) 173,850 fans.

Despite the huge record number of attendees, some sources claim that more than 200,<> fans were at the famous Maracanã stadium, and after Brazil convincingly won their first two matches in the final stage of the World Cup, a draw with Uruguay was enough to win the World Cup for the first time ever.

Samba fans rallied to celebrate their most fortunate team, especially as they play at home and among their large crowds, but in one of the biggest surprises in the history of the sport, Uruguay made up for its delay to beat Brazil 2-1 and win the World Cup in the greatest comeback in the history of the round witch.

Source : Al Jazeera + Websites