Morocco and France Become the First Teams to Reach the FIFA World Cup Quarter-finals as Day 24 Tops the Ratings on Antena 1
More unforgettable Round of 16 clashes continue today, live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY
The opening day of the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 16, broadcast live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY, delivered another memorable chapter in football history. Viewers followed every moment of the first knockout matches—Canada vs. Morocco (0-3) and Paraguay vs. France (0-1)—as well as the final two Round of 32 fixtures, Argentina vs. Cape Verde (3-2 after extra time) and Colombia vs. Ghana (1-0), whose audience data became available today. Together, these matches ranked as viewers' top choice, making Day 24 of the FIFA World Cup the ratings leader. Antena 1 also dominated the audience charts yesterday, both in Prime Time and across the entire broadcast day.
Today, the tournament, available exclusively across the Antena universe, delivers another once-in-a-generation showdown. Football's most iconic national team, Brazil, faces the record-breaking phenomenon Erling Haaland and Norway at 11:00 PM, live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY. Then, at 3:00 AM, another unforgettable story unfolds at Azteca Stadium, where England returns after 40 years to face tournament hosts Mexico in a clash destined to settle unfinished business.
Yesterday's first Round of 16 encounter featured Canada and Morocco. Broadcast live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY between 8:00 PM and 10:04 PM, Morocco's 3-0 victory was the evening's most-watched programme, recording a 35.9% market share and a 7.3 rating among the commercial audience aged 21-54, ahead of Pro TV, which registered a 17.9% market share and a 3.6 rating. Antena 1 also led among urban viewers, posting a 28.8% market share and an 8.1 rating, compared with Pro TV's 12.3% market share and 3.5 rating. Nationwide, Antena 1 achieved a 24.3% market share and a 6.4 rating, while Pro TV followed with a 12.8% market share and a 3.3 rating. At the Golden Minute (10:02 PM), more than 1.6 million viewers were watching the match on Antena 1.
The midnight fixture, Paraguay vs. France, which ended 1-0 in favour of the French and aired between 12:04 AM and 2:00 AM, also dominated the ratings, recording a 42.4% market share among viewers aged 21-54 in urban areas, compared to Pro TV's 16.5%. The programme also ranked first among the urban audience overall with a 36.8% market share and nationwide with a 33% market share, well ahead of Pro TV's 13.7%.
Antena 1 also finished first across the entire broadcast day with a 2.7 rating and a 26% market share, while leading Prime Time (7:00 PM-12:00 AM) with a 5.3 rating and a 27.6% market share among viewers aged 21-54.
The final two Round of 32 matches played the previous day—Argentina's 3-2 extra-time victory over Cape Verde and Colombia's 1-0 win against Ghana—also topped the ratings after their audience figures became available today, achieving market shares of 45.1% and 48.4%, respectively, among the commercial audience aged 21-54. Antena 1 maintained its leadership across all major audience categories.
Last night, Morocco made history by securing a place in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals with a commanding 3-0 victory over tournament hosts Canada. The Atlas Lions became the first African nation ever to reach the World Cup quarter-finals in consecutive editions, having also advanced to the last eight in 2022, where they famously eliminated Portugal before losing to France in the semi-finals and Croatia in the third-place play-off. Morocco also became only the fourth African nation to reach the World Cup quarter-finals, following Cameroon in 1990, Ghana in 2010 and Senegal in 2022.
The Canada vs. Morocco match also produced an unusual statistical milestone. Six yellow cards were shown in the first half alone—the highest number in a World Cup knockout match since Brazil vs. Ghana in 2006. Remarkably, there were fewer shots (five) than yellow cards (six) during the opening 45 minutes, something that had never happened in the history of the FIFA World Cup since detailed statistics began being recorded in 1966.
With the victory, Morocco became the first team to book its place in the quarter-finals, where it will meet France after Les Bleus defeated Paraguay later that evening, setting up a rematch of the 2022 FIFA World Cup semi-final.
The Round of 16 action continued after midnight on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY, this time with relatively few scares for France. The only goal of the match came in the 70th minute, when Kylian Mbappé converted a penalty after an otherwise subdued performance from Didier Deschamps' side. Paraguay defended resolutely throughout most of the match, but Mbappé's spot-kick proved decisive and moved him level with Lionel Messi at the top of the tournament's scoring charts.
After the match, Mbappé insisted that France has the quality to defeat any opponent regardless of the circumstances, while head coach Didier Deschamps expressed satisfaction with the victory, highlighting the difficult conditions and Paraguay's physical, aggressive approach.
FIFA World Cup 2026 – Day 25 Schedule
The stadiums are ready for two more blockbuster Round of 16 encounters.
- Brazil vs. Norway – 11:00 PM (MetLife Stadium) – Antena 1 & AntenaPLAY
- Mexico vs. England – 3:00 AM (Mexico City Stadium) – Antena 1 & AntenaPLAY
Source: Fifty5Blue
Copyright: ARMADATA S.R.L.
Audience data processed by: Antena Group Research Department
Analysis based on the following targets: Urban 21-54, Urban Total and National Total
Reporting period: July 4, 2026
