Spain has returned to Madrid to celebrate their World Cup triumph with a trophy parade after securing their second men’s World Cup title. The team’s victory over Argentina in the final was sealed by Ferran Torres’ extra-time goal, which broke a deadlock in a match described as a dire spectacle for 90 minutes before Spain made the breakthrough.
The final match attracted a significant audience, with a peak of 15.8 million viewers on one major network and its digital platforms. The broadcast achieved a 64% share of all television viewing for the match, with an average audience of 13.9 million. Digital streaming also saw high engagement, with the final streamed 11.1 million times on the network’s iPlayer and sports website and app, including 2.4 million UHD streams on iPlayer.
World Cup viewership and digital engagement
The overall reach for the World Cup across television viewing was 42.8 million. Digital platforms played a crucial role in fan engagement throughout the tournament, with matches streamed 237 million times on the iPlayer and sports website and app. This figure more than doubled the streaming numbers from the 2022 World Cup, indicating a growing trend in how audiences consume sports content.
World Cup content dominated the iPlayer, accounting for 33% of all streamed content during the competition. The sports website and app attracted 57.2 million unique visitors, who viewed content 1.7 billion times. Match highlights alone were streamed 67.3 million times, and a new football YouTube channel generated 100 million views across various content.
Social media also saw substantial activity, with clips, interviews, analysis, press conferences, and fan moments attracting video views. A notable video was an interview with Egypt winger Mostafa Zico after Egypt’s elimination by Argentina, which garnered views on one social media platform alone.
Post-match reactions and celebrations
Following their victory, Spain’s players and coaching staff arrived back in Madrid. Captain Rodri was seen holding the World Cup trophy upon disembarking the plane with head coach Luis de la Fuente. The team’s open-top bus parade was scheduled to begin at 7pm local time (6pm BST) after the players had some downtime and lunch at a secure location.
Crowds had already gathered in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and other major squares, celebrating into the early hours of Monday morning, with supporters securing spots in Cibeles Square for the parade. Spanish newspapers reflected the national joy, with headlines such as “The world is ours” and “The world surrenders to Spain,” with some calling the team “invincible” and “double champions.”
In contrast, Argentina faced scrutiny for their performance and post-match conduct. Reports indicated a defensive and ill-disciplined display, with the team not registering a shot in normal time or an effort on target in the entire 120 minutes. Incidents of ill-discipline included Enzo Fernandez receiving two yellow cards and Leandro Paredes being sent off after the game for his reaction at the final whistle. Nahuel Molina also reportedly confronted Spain players.
Despite the criticism, Argentina’s national media defended their team, with front pages calling them a source of national pride. One newspaper featured a tearful image of Lionel Messi with the headline, “They gave it their all, nothing to blame them for.” Another paper used the line, “Argentina gave it their all – and they’re a source of national pride,” while a third went with “May they be eternal” alongside another image of Messi.
The aftermath of the final also saw Fifa reportedly set to investigate the post-match scenes to determine if additional disciplinary action is warranted.
The third-place play-off between England and France on Saturday also drew a peak audience of 11.8 million on the network’s main channel and iPlayer, with an average audience of 10.8 million.
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Source: bbc.co.uk