2026 World Cup/UK: best audience of the year for BBC with England - DR Congo (peak at 16.3 million)

England - DR Congo (2-1), Round of 32 of the 2026 World Cup, drew a peak of 16.3 million viewers across the BBC’s channels in the United Kingdom, on Wednesday 1 July 2026 (kick-off at 17:00 GMT, 18:00 CET), according to data from audience measurement institute BARB (Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board).

The match drew an average of 14 million viewers, whilst 10.4 million streams have been recorded on the BBC iPlayer platform as well as on the BBC Sport website and app, according to figures released by the group which recorded its best audience of the year.

Panama - England (0-2), on Matchday 3 of Group L, drew a peak of 13.76 million viewers across the ITV group’s channels, on Saturday 27 June 2026 (kick-off at 22:00 GMT, 23:00 CET), according to BARB.

• In France, the match drew an average of 3.75 million viewers on the private free-TV channel M6, according to data from the audience measurement institute Médiamétrie. Audience share: 30.4%.
  • The match was also broadcast on the pay-TV channel beIN SPORTS 1, whose audience figures were not released.
• In Germany, the match was…