Has the 2026 World Cup final broken the global viewership record?
The final in Lusail remains the television benchmark for world football.
Details: The decisive match of the 2022 World Cup between Argentina and France drew a global audience of nearly 1.5 billion viewers. According to FIFA, this is the most-watched final in World Cup history.
That final delivered six goals, extra time, and a dramatic penalty shootout, ultimately crowning Argentina as world champions.
The 2026 World Cup has already set a new TV audience record in the United States: nearly 63 million viewers tuned in for the final. However, that's just the American numbers—the global viewership figures for the match have yet to be released, but it's already clear that they're lower than those of the 2022 final. As a result, the 2022 final's record officially still stands.
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Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
