Saskatoon man caps off world-record World Cup attendance at nail-biting final

Saskatoon resident Lee Kormish attended 41 full 2022 World Cup games, including the finale.

“I couldn't expect for anything better than what was on the pitch. It was surreal. I don't even know how to explain it. It was the best game I've ever watched in my life,” said Kormish.

The game included two of the best players in the game squaring off against each other – Lionel Messi for Argentina and Kylian Mbappé for France. It went back and forth, and eventually ended with penalty kicks, as Argentina came out on top.

“We couldn't believe what was happening in that stadium. The story, you can't write this script. The World Cup trophy on the line, the back-and-forth free penalties. The referee was fantastic,” he said.

Kormish watched the Argentinian bus full of players celebrate their accomplishment, etching themselves into the history books. Kormish might have done the same by setting a Guinness World Record at the World Cup. Throughout the tournament he attended a total of 41 full games.

“I went to 42 but I was late three and a half minutes for my 42nd match,” said Kormish. “I went to 41 complete matches.”

He was striving to set the record for most World Cup matches watched in a single tournament. He says the previous world record was 31.

“'I’ve crushed the record, but Guinness needs to approve all of my verifications,” he said.

Over the course of his lifetime, Kormish has attended five World Cups, catching a total of 104 matches. He has been thinking about the record for 10 years and preparing to break it for the last year.

“It means the world to me,” Kormish said. “I absolutely love it. I enjoyed it and when I think back to the memories it'll be fun memories, and probably one of the most enjoyable experiences of my life.”

The 2026 World Cup is set to be held throughout North America which Kormish plans to attend.