2026 World Cup / UK: best TV audience since 2021 for England - Argentina on the BBC (peak at 24 million)

England - Argentina (1-2), the second semi-final of the 2026 World Cup, drew an average of 22.1 million viewers with a peak at 24 million across the BBC’s channels in the United Kingdom, on Wednesday 15 July 2026 (kick-off at 20:00 GMT, 21:00 CET), according to figures released by the British public audiovisual group.

This figure represented an audience share of 85% for the match broadcast on BBC One and the BBC iPlayer platform. "This is the most-watched live television moment of the year across all broadcasters," the public group said. It added that the match also represented the biggest live TV audience for a broadcaster since 2021 (peak at 25 million viewers on BBC One and 6 million on ITV for the Euro 2020 final won by Italy against England).

The quarter-final won by England against…