The Cowboys have had an immense number of memorable moments over the years, but one incident from 1994 remains a record that no other team has reached. 

According to a report by A to Z Sports writer Mauricio Rodriguez, the Cowboys’ preseason game against the Houston Oilers at Estadio Azteca, now called Estadio Banorte, in Mexico City drew 112,376 fans, an NFL attendance record that still stands today. 

“That’s right,” Rodriguez wrote on July 3, 2026. “ The NFL’s highest-attended game took place in Mexico, not the United States.” 

According to Rodriguez's A to Z Sports article, the Cowboys' popularity in Mexico had grown through Televisa broadcasts that began in 1970, helping draw the record crowd in 1994. 

The record came during a preseason clash between the Cowboys and the Houston Oilers on August 15, 1994, at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. Dallas entered the season as back-to-back Super Bowl champions and was chasing a third straight Super Bowl title. 

The weather didn’t favor Dallas, but fans still packed the stadium to see some of the league’s biggest stars. Heavy rain made the field hard to use, so Troy Aikman played only one drive, and Emmitt Smith didn’t play at all. 

The Oilers went on to win 6-0 after Mexican boxing legend Julio César Chávez took care of the coin toss. But what people remember about the evening is the attendance record.

It remains highly unlikely this record will ever be broken as modern NFL stadiums have been built with a focus on comfort over capacity, with most holding far fewer than 100,000 fans.

The 112,376 who filled the Cowboys’ stadium will never be equalled by any future game, even when held in the largest international venues.  

The Estadio Azteca has been used for international events again, but the Cowboys’ 1994 preseason game is still the largest attended game in NFL history and a one-of-a-kind event in league history.

However, that historic moment was followed by another NFL milestone at Cowboys Stadium, which saw a record-setting regular-season crowd. 

Cowboys stadium breaks NFL regular season attendance record

The Dallas Cowboys set the NFL regular-season attendance record during a home game. This was just another proof of the team’s unparalleled ability to draw huge crowds.

According to league records, the Dallas Cowboys’ September 20, 2009 game against the New York Giants at Cowboys Stadium (now AT&T Stadium) in Arlington, Texas, had a crowd of 105,121 fans. The crowd set the NFL regular-season record for largest attendance.

The game surpassed the previous record of 103,467, which had been set in 2005 in Mexico City during a regular-season meeting between the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49ers.

The Cowboys’ new stadium had also factored in the record turnout. Its expanded seating and standing-room areas helped push attendance to levels rarely seen in the NFL at the time. 

These records show that the Cowboys have remained one of the most followed teams in the history of the NFL and have drawn large crowds in every era. 

What do you think about the Cowboys’ record-breaking crowd history? Let us know your views in the comments.

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Written by

Divyanshi Raj

Edited by

Arundhoti Palit