Saskatoon’s World Cup superfan sets sights on Guinness record

It would mean everything for Saskatoon soccer superfan Lee Kormish to hold the Guinness World Record for the most matches attended in a single World Cup tournament.

This year, Kormish attempted to break that record in Qatar by attending 41 matches.

According to Guinness, the current record was set in 2011 by Thulani Ngcobo, with a total of 31 matches attended at the World Cup tournament in South Africa.

Holding the record had always been Kormish’s dream, and when the 2022 Qatar World Cup was announced, he said he finally got the chance to take a shot at the record due to the close proximity of the venues.

During the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Kormish said he could only make it to 21 matches because they were held much further apart.

Kormish said his original goal for the Qatar World Cup was to attend 41 games, but there was some fierce competition. He said he found out there were locals from Qatar attempting to break the record themselves.

During one particular day during the tournament, Kormish said he attended three separate matches, which he described as “an extremely difficult task.”

His final number might have been 42, but Kormish said he was late to one match due to a shootout finish in a previous game.

“I went to 42 games, but as far as Guinness is (concerned), they see that I’ve gone to 41,” he said.

But did he break the record? So far, it hasn’t been made official.

Kormish said it can take months for Guinness to go over the evidence to finalize a record, and he knows of at least one local fan who attended the same number of matches. But the other fan’s attempt might not count in the eyes of the record-keepers, he said.

“He wasn’t in his seat for one of his games when the whistle started,” Kormish said, noting that is one of the requirements to break the record for attendance.

Breaking a world record isn’t as easy as some might think. To break the record officially, Kormish said videos, photos, and witness statements must be provided to Guinness as evidence.

“There’s a little bit of worry to lose on a technicality,” Kormish said.

“When you’re running into a game and it’s going to start in three minutes, you have to locate two witnesses to take a video with before the game starts … You have to very quickly try to make friends with two strangers around you.”

Not anyone at a World Cup tournament can attempt to break the record, either. Kormish said Guinness insists on pre-approving any applications before the attempt is made.

“I applied to break this record a year ago,” he said, adding it took three months to receive an emailed confirmation.

Kormish said he’s working with a friend (who is also a lawyer) to help ensure he has the proper evidence of all 41 matches to claim the title.

Right now, it’s a waiting game. Kormish said it will take time for Guinness to finalize everything, and he is not sure if someone else attended more than 41 matches.

For Kormish, winning the award would be life-changing.

“The World Cup is my passion. Soccer is my life,” he said.