The MCG is one of the largest stadiums in the world. Throughout its history, the 'G has held numerous events attended by well in excess of 100,000 people.

Noteworthy attendances

1,153,000

15-day aggregate for 1956 Olympic Games

350,534

Record Test match attendance (1936-37 over six days)

130,000

Billy Graham crusade, 1959 (Est.)

121,696

1970 VFL Grand Final, Carlton v Collingwood

120,000

Final ceremony Eucharistic Congress, 1973 (Est.)

118,192 1971 VFL Grand Final, St Kilda v Hawthorn 100,022 2018 AFL Grand Final, West Coast Eagles v Collingwood

100,021 2017 AFL Grand Final, Richmond v Adelaide Crows 99,981 2016 AFL Grand Final, Sydney Swans v Western Bulldogs 99,382 International Champions Cup (Manchester City v Real Madrid) 2015 99,256

Largest attendance for VFL/AFL home and away match 1958 (Melb v Coll)

95,446

Soccer friendly (Liverpool FC v Melbourne Victory) 2013

94,825 ANZAC Day AFL match Collingwood v Essendon 1995 93,013

Record cricket attendance - 2015 World Cup Final, Australia v New Zealand

91,513 NRL State of Origin Game II (Queensland v New South Wales) 2015 91,112

Record Test cricket attendance - Australia v England, Boxing Day 2013

90,119

Bledisloe Cup rugby union (Australia v New Zealand) 1997

89,155

Boxing Day Test, Australia v England 2006 (Day 1)

87,182

World Cup Final, Pakistan v England, 1992 (Then world record limited-overs attendance)

87,161

Rugby League State of Origin (NSW v Queensland) 1994

87,122 Rugby League State of Origin (NSW v Queensland) 2018 85,513

World Cup Soccer Qualifier (Australia v Iran) 1997

84,041

Twenty20 International, Australia v India 2008

80,883

Record Australian domestic cricket crowd, BBL, Stars v Renegades (2016) 80,708 Eminem Concert 2019 80,518

Sound Relief Concert 2009

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Australian football and cricket (both international and domestic) have been the staple diet of events at the MCG – the ground has hosted more than 100 VFL/AFL Grand Finals and more than 110 Test matches, many of them starting on the now-traditional Boxing Day.Ever since the MCC encouraged its entrepreneurial caterers to sponsor the first visit by an England cricket team to Australia, big crowds have flocked to the MCG.Stadium management always has been mindful of anticipating sporting trends. The MCG has successfully accommodated people at all levels of comfort and convenience in a variety of grandstands or open-air terraces.Ironically it is not a sporting event which holds the attendance record at the MCG. This honour belongs to American evangelist Billy Graham, who in 1959 attracted an estimated crowd of more than 130,000 (some estimates go as high as 143,750), many of whom had spilled onto the arena.The MCG also holds the record for the biggest VFL/AFL crowd (121,696), the highest recorded crowd for a cricket match (93,013 at the 2015 World Cup Final) the largest crowd for a single day of Test cricket (91,112) and the record crowd for a domestic cricket match (80,883).On the world stage, the MCG’s most notable attendance record (still standing) is 1.153 million patrons for the 15 days of the 1956 Olympics.By the mid-nineties, annual attendances at the MCG exceeded 3.5 million – more than the population of Melbourne. It is doubtful that any other stadium in the world could make a similar claim.