World Cup final attendance exceeds 1bn

The just-ended Brazil 2014 has proven to be a social, mobile FIFA World Cup as more than a billion fans were able to join in across FIFA’s official digital platforms. A statement from FIFA Media Office on Monday said attendance in the Global Stadium exceeded one billion users by the final whistle of the 2014 FIFA World Cup on Sunday. The competition’s final match saw Germany defeating Argentina by a lone goal after extra time following a goalless draw at regulation time. “The attendance means that FIFA’s digital live and social hub can fit the equivalent of 13,380 Maracanas inside. “FIFA’s Global Stadium has been the social, online and mobile hub for the 2014 World Cup matches. “At the global stadium, fans could follow the games live and engage with friends, worldwide fans, players, coaches and celebrities. “Football fans from every country in the world went through the virtual turnstiles to experience more than 40 billion impressions of official World Cup digital content.’’ According to the statement, FIFA’s mobile and social platforms contributed to the record-breaking crowds who engaged with the world soccer body’s digital platforms. “There were 107 million fans connecting to official website and application content on mobile devices. “The official FIFA application recently became the biggest sports event application of all time with a record 28 million downloads. “An impressive 451 million Facebook users were reached with official FIFA social content. “FIFA’s Twitter followers surpassed the 16-million mark, with an average of 10 new followers per second recorded on the opening match day. “The official FIFA World Cup Instagram application increased from 42,000 to 0.8 million followers in 31 days, a growth rate of over 1,600 per cent,’’ the statement said. It quoted FIFA President Sepp Blatter as saying that this has been the first truly mobile and social World Cup. “The official FIFA application became the biggest sports event application in the world and we have seen huge growth across our social accounts. “The one billion attendance in the Global Stadium created the sense of togetherness the World Cup brings and the shared excitement that digital platforms offer,’’ Blatter said.