Study reveals six-fold increase in children attending Brazilian stadiums

The presence of children and teenagers in Brazilian stadiums has seen a significant upward trend. Data from Imply ElevenTickets, which provides facial recognition technology for approximately ten arenas across the country, indicates that fans under the age of 18 accounted for 8.5% of stadium entries between June and early October 2026, compared to just 1.4% in 2023.

This shift follows the implementation of the General Sports Law in June 2025, which mandated the use of facial recognition for stadiums with a capacity of at least 20,000. These systems have enabled clubs to track audience demographics more accurately at venues such as Castelão, Arena das Dunas, Arena de Pernambuco, Arena Fonte Nova, Arena Independência, and Beira-Rio.

The growth is not uniform across all age groups, with teenagers driving the trend. Between October 2025 and October 2026, those aged 12 to 17 represented 4.95% of total entries, while children aged 5 to 11 accounted for 1.76%. The 12–17 age bracket has shown the most significant increase compared to the 2023–2024 period.

This data presents a strategic opportunity for clubs to engage with a younger demographic. By leveraging insights from access records, clubs can better understand the needs of family-oriented fans and develop initiatives such as family ticket packages or targeted membership programs to foster long-term loyalty among the next generation of supporters.