France's 2-0 defeat to Spain on Tuesday night in the 2026 World Cup semi-final did not discourage viewers. Quite the opposite. Broadcast live on M6, the match drew an average of 20,24 million viewers, representing a 73,1% audience share – an exceptional figure that constitutes the highest audience for French television since the beginning of 2026. At the peak of the match, viewership climbed even further in the final minutes of the first half. Despite a very disappointing performance from Les Bleus, the game captivated nearly three out of four viewers.
The previous France-Morocco record has been easily surpassed
A few days earlier, France's quarter-final victory against Morocco had already set a record with 16,1 million viewers and a 72,8% audience share on M6. The semi-final against Spain did even better, with over 4 million additional viewers. This increase confirms the exceptional enthusiasm generated by Les Bleus' run throughout this World Cup, right up to their elimination just shy of the final.
TF1 and France 2 swept aside in prime time
Faced with such an event, the competition stood no chance. The programs offered by TF1 and France 2 garnered extremely low ratings. According to initial figures, TF1 managed only around 3% audience share, while France 2 fell to around 2%, levels rarely seen in prime time for a sporting competition of this magnitude.
M6's figures, pending beIN Sports
As with all of France's matches during this World Cup, the game was also broadcast on beIN Sports, which holds all the rights to the competition. At this stage, the audience figures for the pay-TV channel for this semi-final are not yet known. The figure of 20,24 million viewers refers only to the M6 broadcast.
