TORONTO (July 21, 2026) – The biggest sporting event in the world, FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™, touched down in Canada for the first time ever this summer, and Bell Media’s exclusive live coverage of the tournament captivated audiences across the country. Overall, 30.5 million unique Canadian viewers (75% of Canada’s population) watched live tournament coverage on TSN, RDS, CTV, Noovo, and Crave, according to preliminary data from Numeris.
Overall, the 104 tournament matches at FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ attracted a per-game average audience of 1.6 million viewers, an increase of more than 50% compared to the 2022 tournament.
As the official broadcaster and streamer of FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™, Bell Media’s exclusive live coverage united Canadians like never before, smashing audience records and delivering unprecedented engagement across all platforms.
“Throughout this incredible tournament, Bell Media’s ambitious coverage united fans, broke audience records, and made this the biggest FIFA World Cup™ in Canadian history,” said Kevin Cluett, SVP, Subscription Services, Sports, and Out of Home, Bell Media. “The commitment to excellence across our organization was visible in all aspects of our business, bringing together premium content and cross-platform activation. These exceptional results demonstrate the full power of Bell Media’s connected ecosystem, and our ability to transform passion-fueled content into audience growth and consumer engagement, connecting Canadian audiences and our advertising partners to the biggest sporting event on the planet.”
“With thrilling matches, passionate fans here on home soil in stadiums and on the streets, and the history-making performance of Canada’s Men’s National Team, Canadians will never forget FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™,” said Shawn Redmond, VP, Bell Media Sports. “On behalf of the whole team at TSN and RDS, we were honoured to give audiences across the country a front row seat to a phenomenal month of international sport at its highest level. My biggest congratulations goes out to our talented team members across every department, whose skill and dedication was on full display not just during this tournament, but in the years leading up to it. The effort they put into this once-in-a-lifetime event was the driving force that made our multi-platform coverage an overwhelming success.”
FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ Final Audience Record
The unforgettable FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ culminated on Sunday afternoon with a dramatic, extra-time victory by Spain, attracting a record average audience of 6.4 million viewers on TSN, RDS, CTV, Noovo, and Crave, making it the most-watched FIFA WORLD CUP™ match ever in Canada, according to preliminary data from Numeris. The average audience for the match was up +32% compared to the 2022 Final. Overall, 14.6 million unique Canadian viewers tuned in for the record-breaking match, which saw audiences peak with 9.05 million viewers at 5:57 p.m. ET as Spain secured the 1-0 win in extra time for the second FIFA WORLD CUP™ victory in their history. Streaming audiences continued to surge, with audiences up more than 200% compared to the 2022 Final.
FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ Overall Audience Figures
Bell Media’s exclusive live coverage of FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ recorded massive audience figures across all platforms, including the following highlights:
- The unforgettable run of Canada’s Men’s National Team saw them advance to the Round of 16 for the first time, with their match vs. Morocco attracting an average audience of 5.4 million viewers, the most-watched match of any non-Final ever
- A total of 68 matches at FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ attracted an average audience of at least 1 million viewers
- A total of 38 Group Stage matches at FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ attracted an average audience of at least 1 million viewers, with the average audience for Group Stage matches increasing by +43% compared to 2022
- The tournament’s first-ever slate of Round of 32 matches attracted an average audience of 1.9 million viewers
- With an average audience of 2.5 million viewers, Round of 16 matches increased more than 100% compared to 2022
- The tournament’s Semifinal matches attracted an average audience of 3.7 million viewers, with Argentina vs. England becoming the most-watched Semifinal match on record with 4.1 million viewers
- Canadians consumed more than 400 million hours of FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ live matches, up nearly 160% compared to the 2022 tournament
- TSN saw massive fan engagement for FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ content across its leading social media accounts, including more than 1.2 billion video views and more than 2.5 billion impressions
- More than 91 million views for FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ content on the TSN YouTube channel
Top 10 Most-Watched Matches of FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™
Audiences connected with thrilling FIFA WORLD CUP 2026™ matches throughout the tournament involving both Canada’s Men’s National Team and their favourite teams from across the globe. By average audience, the Top 10 most-watched matches at the tournament were:
- Spain vs. Argentina, Final, July 19: 6.4 million viewers (most-watched FIFA World Cup™ match on record)
- Canada vs. Morocco, Round of 16, July 4: 5.4 million viewers (most-watched non-Final match on record)
- Canada vs. Qatar, Group Stage, June 18: 5.3 million viewers (most-watched Group Stage match on record)
- Canada vs. South Africa, Round of 32, June 28: 5.2 million viewers
- Argentina vs. England, Semifinals, July 15: 4.1 million viewers (most-watched Semifinal match on record)
- Canada vs. Switzerland, Group Stage, June 24: 4.1 million viewers
- Norway vs. England, Quarter-finals, July 11: 3.8 million viewers
- Spain vs. France, Semifinals, July 14: 3.2 million viewers
- Portugal vs. Croatia, Round of 32, July 2: 3.2 million viewers
- Canada vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina, Group Stage, June 12: 3.2 million viewers
