The Socceroos may have exited early, but Australia’s FIFA World Cup obsession was only just warming up.
Spain’s victory over Argentina has helped deliver the biggest World Cup audience in SBS history, with more than 18 million Australians tuning into the tournament across six weeks.
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An extraordinary 5.26 million* Australians tuned in to SBS on Monday morning as the biggest FIFA World Cup™ in history reached a dramatic conclusion, with Spain defeating Argentina 1-0 in the final.
Cumulative Total TV reach for the tournament is now at 18.04 million, which means 64% of Australia’s population have watched some of the tournament. Total consumption hours have topped 209 million.
Despite the Socceroos’ early departure in the knockout rounds, Australian fans have continued to flock to the closing stages of the tournament. The final became the most-watched World Cup match in SBS history, surpassing the Socceroos’ final Group match against Paraguay (4.87 million, Total TV reach).
The Total TV average audience was 2.7 million and more than 56.5% watched the match on SBS On Demand. The post-match show reached more than 3.7 million and was the second most-watched program of the day.
On Sunday morning, 2.8 million viewers witnessed a goal-fest as England defeated France 6-4 to secure third place in the tournament (average audience of 1.4 million), which also topped the daily VOZ rankings.
Seventeen matches have now reached more than two million each during the tournament, including four matches that have topped four million viewers. Of the 104 World Cup matches, 62 reached more than one million viewers (almost 60%).
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SBS Director of Sport, Ken Shipp, said:
“This has been an unprecedented FIFA World Cup™ in its size, complexity and intrigue, and Australians have embraced it in extraordinary numbers. In our 40 years of broadcasting the tournament, we’ve never seen engagement at this level.”
“The Socceroos captured the imagination of the nation, but people stayed for the rest of the tournament as it delivered remarkable football and unforgettable moments right through to Spain’s victory in the Final.”
“Throughout the past six weeks, we saw football’s unique ability to bring people together and celebrate the many cultures and communities that make our country so diverse.”
“That’s what has always made the FIFA World Cup™ so special, and why SBS has been proud to bring it to Australians for the past 40 years.”
“We never take that responsibility for granted, and we’re incredibly grateful to have shared this remarkable journey with millions of people.”
World Cup by the numbers:
Spain v Argentina CoverageTotal TV ReachTotal TV Average AudienceBVOD ContributionSpain v Argentina – Pre1,159,000227,00019.6%Spain v Argentina – Live5,262,0002,691,00056.5%Spain v Argentina – Post3,701,0001,648,00044.5%
World Cup matches have consistently ranked in the top ten programs of the day since the tournament began on 12 June (Australian time).
The World Cup broadcast has struck a particular chord with younger viewers, consistently ranking No.1 on the VOZ daily ratings in the 16-39 age group.
Top Matches to 20 JulyTotal TV ReachTotal TV Average AudienceBVOD ContributionSpain v Argentina Final – Live5,262,0002,691,00056.5%Paraguay v Australia – Live4,869,0003,097,00047.0%Australia v Türkiye – Live4,851,0003,085,00044.4%Norway v England QF – Live4,409,0002,418,00056.1%Australia v Egypt – Live3,896,0002,208,00046.5%Argentina v Switzerland QF – Live3,783,0001,919,00055.4%USA v Australia – Live3,482,0002,208,00046.1%England v Argentina SF – Live3,391,0001,877,00064.2%Mexico v England – Live2,937,0001,683,00063.6%France v England 3rd Place – Live2,773,0001,407,000
SBS Sport’s social media platforms have had more than 1.5 billion video views and 1.6 billion impressions across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube.^ The SBS Sport TikTok platform has grown exponentially during the World Cup and is now the second biggest TikTok broadcaster account in Australia with 3.7 million followers.
Hyundai, Hisense, Macca’s, Rexona, bet365, Commonwealth Bank and Youi are commercial partners of SBS’s broadcast of the FIFA World Cup 2026™.
Sources:
*Reach-To-Date: VOZ National Total TV | Date: 11/06/2026 – 20/07/2026 | Data: When Watched, All WC content | Demo: Total People | Metric: Reach (Broadcast 1 min, BVOD 15 secs)
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Consumption Hours-To-Date: VOZ National Total TV | Date: 11/06/2026 – 20/07/2026 | Data: When Watched, All WC content | Demo: Total People | Metric: Consumption hours (Mins. Viewed / 60)
Average Audience: VOZ National Total TV | Consolidated till 13/07/26, rest Overnight | Demo: Total People | Metric: Average Audience
^ Tableau, 1/4/2026 to 20/6/2026
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