A New Dramatic Verdict at the FIFA World Cup: Spain Eliminates Portugal in the Round of 16 in a Record-Breaking Match

Belgium also sent hosts USA home, making history in another milestone on Antena 1's 26th day as audience leader.

The Round of 16 at the 2026 FIFA World Cup continues to make history, delivering yet another consecutive day of market-leading audiences and record-breaking viewership. The blockbuster clash between Portugal and Spain, which ended in a 1-0 victory for Spain, marked another extraordinary milestone for La Roja, unmatched in World Cup history. Meanwhile, Cristiano Ronaldo's Portugal exited the tournament, as the long-standing "curse" affecting coaches facing their home nation in the knockout stages struck once again. Spain will now face Belgium in the quarter-finals after the Red Devils shattered America's dream with a commanding 4-1 victory over the United States. Football fans around the world watched with bated breath as Legend met Future in the Portugal–Spain showdown, while the thrilling Mexico–England encounter, which ended 3-2 in England's favour, also attracted outstanding audiences. Ratings released today confirmed Antena 1 as the clear leader across every major audience category. The broadcaster, which also topped yesterday's overall rankings both in Prime Time and throughout the day, celebrated its 26th audience-leading day of the World Cup, as well as a record audience for the tournament's opening match of the day.

The World Cup excitement continues today, live and exclusively on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY. Lionel Messi's legend lives on as Argentina takes on Mohamed Salah's Egypt at 7:00 p.m., while at 11:00 p.m., fiery South American passion meets European determination in the clash between Colombia and Switzerland.

Yesterday's fifth Round of 16 fixture brought together Portugal and Spain in what became the most-watched World Cup match ever broadcast by Antena 1. Airing live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY between 10:00 p.m. and 12:01 a.m., the match achieved a 53.8% market share and 14.4 rating points among viewers aged 21–54 in urban areas, far ahead of Pro TV, which registered just 9.7% market share and 2.6 rating points. The same dominance was recorded among the urban audience, where Antena 1 posted a 43.5% market share and 13.6 rating points, compared to Pro TV's 8.9% share and 2.8 rating points. Nationwide, Antena 1 also ranked first with a 38.4% market share and 12 rating points, while Pro TV followed with 12.4% market share and 3.9 rating points. At the golden minute (10:41 p.m.), nearly 2.5 million viewers were watching the match on Antena 1.

The broadcaster also topped the ratings throughout the entire day, posting 2.9 rating points and a 29% market share, while dominating Prime Time (7:00 p.m.–12:00 a.m.) with 7.5 rating points and a 34.2% market share among the commercial audience aged 21–54.

The fourth Round of 16 match, Mexico vs England, whose audience data became available today, also ranked as the clear market leader. Broadcast live between 4:00 a.m. and 6:04 a.m. on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY, the match recorded a 44.1% market share among urban viewers aged 21–54, ahead of Antena 3 CNN with 13.1%, and Pro TV with 5.3%. Antena 1 maintained its lead among the urban audience, achieving a 38.2% market share, compared with 7.6% for Antena 3 CNN. Nationwide, the broadcaster also dominated with a 26.4% market share, while Pro TV recorded only 8.9%.

Last night, Lamine Yamal's Spain struck deep into stoppage time to end Cristiano Ronaldo's World Cup dream. Spain booked its place in the quarter-finals after a dramatic victory in Dallas, where Mikel Merino became the national team's hero by scoring in the 90+1st minute, just six minutes after coming off the bench.

The Spaniards also achieved a remarkable new World Cup milestone: they have not conceded a single goal in their five matches, surpassing 600 consecutive minutes without conceding, the longest such streak ever recorded by any team in FIFA World Cup history. Japan was the last team to score against Spain, at the World Cup four years ago.

Portugal also became part of a remarkable statistic. Roberto Martínez was unable to escape the long-standing "curse" of national team coaches facing their own country in the World Cup knockout rounds. Before the match in Dallas, six coaches had already suffered the same fate, and Martínez became the latest name added to the list.

Cristiano Ronaldo, who started for Portugal, left the tournament in tears, unable to fulfil his lifelong ambition of winning the only major trophy missing from his extraordinary career. One of the first people to comfort the Portuguese superstar was Lamine Yamal, in a gesture of tremendous sportsmanship. Their embrace became a powerful symbol of football's past and future meeting on the world's biggest stage.

The Round of 16 continued live from 3:00 a.m. on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY with another spectacular encounter, USA vs Belgium, which ended in a commanding 4-1 victory for the Belgians. After an impressive display in Seattle, Belgium secured its place in the quarter-finals, where it will face Spain.

Charles De Ketelaere scored a dream brace for Belgium, while Hans Vanaken and Romelu Lukaku also found the net for Rudi Garcia's side. The United States' only goal came from Malik Tillman, whose free-kick took a deflection before beating the goalkeeper.

The match was preceded by a major controversy sparked by the postponement of the suspension handed to American forward Folarin Balogun (25). Balogun had been shown a red card during the United States' 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina and was initially suspended for one match, which should have ruled him out of the clash with Belgium. However, the suspension was deferred, allowing him to start the match.

Another historic milestone was achieved during the game, this time by Romelu Lukaku, who once again made the difference after coming off the bench. Belgium's all-time leading goalscorer became the first player in FIFA World Cup history to score in three matches as a substitute during the same tournament. The previous record had been shared by Roger Milla, Rudi Völler, and André Schürrle, each of whom scored as substitutes in two matches at a single World Cup.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup continues today with the final two Round of 16 fixtures:

• Argentina vs Egypt – 7:00 p.m. (Atlanta Stadium)
• Switzerland vs Colombia – 11:00 p.m. (BC Place, Vancouver)

Source

Fifty5Blue

Copyright

ARMADATA S.R.L.

Audience data processed by the Antena Group Research Department.

The analysis is based on the following target audiences:

• Adults aged 21–54 (Urban)
• Urban Total
• National Total

Reporting period: 6 July 2026.