Millions rise before dawn to watch FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals on SBS
17 July, 2026
Media releases
England v Argentina attracted a Total TV reach of almost 3.4 million on Thursday morning
Some 2.4 million tuned into the match between Spain and France on Wednesday
More than 60% of Australians have now watched the tournament as cumulative reach tops 17.4 million
Millions of Australian football fans are finishing a long working week today after tuning in pre-dawn to SBS's broadcast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals on Wednesday and Thursday morning.
An impressive 3.39 million* (VOZ Total TV reach) watched Argentina defeat England 2-1 yesterday (16 July) to progress to the World Cup final where they will meet Spain on Monday morning at 5am AEST. This was the seventh biggest reach of the tournament. The Total TV average audience was 1.87 million and more than 64% watched the match On Demand.
On Wednesday, 2.37 million tuned in to see Spain defeat France 2-0 in the first semi-final (average audience of 1.26 million), which also topped the daily VOZ rankings.
Fifteen matches have now reached more than two million during the tournament, including three matches that have topped four million viewers.
The continued strength of these audiences demonstrates Australians' enduring appetite for the FIFA World Cup, even after the Socceroos' campaign came to an end.
Attention now turns to the tournament's final two matches as France play England in the third-place play-off on Sunday (19 July) at 7am AEST, while Spain and Argentina prepare for the ultimate showdown on Monday (20 July) at 5am AEST.
Watch the FIFA World Cup 2026 live, free and exclusively on SBS, SBS VICELAND and SBS On Demand from 12 June to 20 July (AEST). Learn all the ways to watch, read and listen, including updating your SBS On Demand app (iOS or Android) and subscribing to SBS Sport newsletters here.
Follow SBS Sport across YouTube, TikTok, X, Instagram and Facebook for all the latest from the FIFA World Cup 2026 .
Broadcast schedule and more information here.
Hyundai, Hisense, Macca's, Rexona, bet365, Commonwealth Bank and Youi are commercial partners of SBS's broadcast of the FIFA World Cup 2026 .
For a pdf copy of this media release, click here.
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Millions rise before dawn to watch FIFA World Cup 2026 semi-finals on SBS 
