The 2026 World Cup semifinal between Spain and France has delivered record-breaking television audiences across multiple European markets, underscoring the tournament's enduring pull even when host nations are absent from the pitch.
In Spain, the match drew an average of 14.65 million viewers and an 81.3% combined audience share, making it the most-watched Spain fixture in World Cup history aside from the 2010 final. Broadcast partner DAZN Mundial averaged just over one million viewers, while the tournament as a whole has reached 36.8 million unique Spanish viewers. In Germany, public broadcaster ZDF recorded 12.69 million viewers and a 53.1% market share, the highest for any World Cup broadcast without German participation. Austria's ORF 1 averaged 1.66 million viewers with a share peaking at 64% in the second half.
The second semifinal, England against Argentina, airs Wednesday on ServusTV, with ORF holding rights to Sunday's final.