More Than 11.6 Million Australians Tune In To SBS’ FIFA World Cup 2026 Coverage – Australia’s passion for the FIFA World Cup 2026 continues to grow, with more than 11.6 million Australians tuning into SBS coverage during the tournament’s opening nine days.
The Socceroos’ second group stage match against host nation USA delivered another ratings triumph for SBS, attracting a Total TV reach of 3.414 million viewers and a Total TV average audience of 2.187 million. Almost half of the audience, 46 per cent, watched via SBS On Demand, highlighting the growing popularity of streaming the tournament.
The pre-match coverage also drew strong numbers, reaching 1.24 million viewers, while the post-match coverage attracted a reach of 2.446 million viewers. SBS dominated the free-to-air ratings on Saturday, securing the top three programs of the day and seven of the top ten programs across live matches and pre- and post-match coverage.
The tournament’s biggest match so far remains Australia’s opening victory over Türkiye, which achieved a remarkable Total TV reach of 4.75 million viewers and a Total TV average audience of 3.045 million. Other standout matches include Haiti v Scotland, which reached 1.933 million viewers, Brazil v Morocco with a reach of 1.932 million, and USA v Paraguay, which reached 1.717 million viewers.
Since the tournament began on 12 June, 18 matches have reached more than one million viewers, with cumulative Total TV reach for the FIFA World Cup 2026 now standing at 11.67 million Australians and four weeks of the tournament still to come. The World Cup has also resonated strongly with younger audiences, ranking as the number one program in the 16-39 demographic on eight of the tournament’s first nine days. On Saturday, SBS held the entire top ten programs in that age group.
SBS Director of Sport Ken Shipp said the audience figures demonstrated the strong connection Australians have formed with both the tournament and the Socceroos.
“More than 11.6 million Australians have already tuned in to SBS’s coverage of the FIFA World Cup 2026, underlining the extraordinary appeal of both this historic tournament and the Socceroos’ campaign. These audience figures demonstrate the strong connection Australians have formed with a young and exciting team competing on football’s biggest stage.”
“As the biggest FIFA World Cup in history gathers momentum, SBS is proud to be bringing Australians every unforgettable moment, dramatic storyline and world-class performance. The tournament still has many chapters to be written, and we look forward to sharing every step of the journey with Australians as the excitement continues to build.”
SBS Sport’s FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage continues live, free and exclusive across SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand through to the final on 20 July.
Link to SBS on Demand HERE
TV Central Football content HERE
More Than 11.6 Million Australians Tune In To SBS’ FIFA World Cup 2026 Coverage
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