Egypt, Argentina and Colombia Secure the Final Round of 16 Spots as FIFA World Cup 2026 Day 23 Tops the Ratings on Antena 1
The Round of 16 kicks off today on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY, promising football at its most dramatic
The final day of the FIFA World Cup 2026 group stage, broadcast live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY, was packed with emotion as the last six teams battled for the remaining places in the Round of 16. Viewers were on the edge of their seats as Mohamed Salah's "Pharaohs" defeated Australia in a dramatic encounter, with Egypt scoring its first knockout-stage goal at a FIFA World Cup in 92 years. Together with Portugal's 2-1 victory over Croatia and Switzerland's 2-0 win against Algeria, the matches whose audience data became available today ranked as viewers' top choice, making Day 23 of the FIFA World Cup the ratings leader. Antena 1 also topped the audience charts yesterday both in Prime Time and across the entire broadcast day.
Today, the tournament, available exclusively across the Antena universe, enters a new stage. Every emotion reaches its peak as the Round of 16 begins with a clash of continents. At 8:00 PM, North America takes on Africa as Canada faces Morocco. Then, at midnight, France—with everything a football giant could ask for: the brilliance of Kylian Mbappé, the Ballon d'Or winner, and the tournament's most valuable squad—meets Paraguay, a team capable of upsetting perfection. Both matches will be broadcast exclusively on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY.
Yesterday's latest Round of 32 clash featured Australia and Egypt. The match, played between 9:00 PM and 11:53 PM, ended 1-1 before Egypt secured a 4-2 victory in the penalty shootout. Broadcast live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY, it was the most-watched programme of the evening, recording a 31.4% market share and a 6.5 rating among viewers aged 21-54 in urban areas, ahead of Pro TV, which posted a 17.1% market share and a 3.5 rating.
Antena 1 maintained its lead among the urban audience as well, with a 26.6% market share and a 7.4 rating, compared to Pro TV's 12.9% market share and 3.6 rating. Nationwide, Antena 1 achieved a 23.5% market share and a 6.5 rating, while Pro TV followed with a 14.2% market share and a 3.9 rating. At the Golden Minute (11:50 PM), more than 1.3 million viewers were watching the match on Antena 1.
Antena 1 also led the ratings throughout the entire day, recording a 2.2 rating and a 23.4% market share, while dominating Prime Time (7:00 PM-12:00 AM) with a 4.8 rating and a 25.9% market share among the commercial target audience aged 21-54.
The previous day's matches—Portugal's 2-1 victory over Croatia and Switzerland's dramatic penalty shootout win over Algeria after a 1-1 draw—also topped the ratings, achieving market shares of 38.4% and 36.7%, respectively, among the commercial audience aged 21-54.
Last night, Egypt and Australia produced a fiercely contested encounter that went all the way to penalties, with Egypt ultimately securing qualification for the Round of 16. Egypt made the perfect start, taking the lead in the 13th minute through Ashour and writing a new chapter in the nation's football history: it was the Pharaohs' first goal in the knockout stages of a FIFA World Cup in 92 years, marking the longest gap between two knockout-stage goals by the same national team in World Cup history.
That was not the only record set during the match. Mohamed Hany once again suffered misfortune at the FIFA World Cup, scoring his second own goal of the tournament. He became only the second player in World Cup history to score two own goals in a single edition of the tournament, matching the unwanted record set by Ivan Vutsov in 1966. Following the victory, Egypt advanced to the Round of 16, where it will face the winner of the Argentina vs. Cape Verde match.
The drama continued after midnight on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY with Argentina's thrilling 3-2 victory over Cape Verde, another match decided in extra time. Lionel Messi opened the scoring in the 29th minute before Deroy Duarte equalised in the 59th. Martínez restored Argentina's lead in the 93rd minute, but Lopes Cabral levelled once again ten minutes later with a stunning strike. Romero ultimately became Argentina's hero by scoring in the 111th minute to send the South Americans through to the Round of 16.
The match also produced several historic milestones. Messi scored his seventh goal of the tournament, once again moving ahead of Kylian Mbappé, who has six after France's 3-0 Round of 32 victory over Sweden. Erling Haaland remains on five goals despite missing one match entirely, while Cristiano Ronaldo scored in Portugal's 2-1 win over Croatia to reach three goals at this World Cup.
Messi is now the all-time leading goalscorer in FIFA World Cup history, although his battle with Mbappé remains one of the tournament's defining storylines. He also climbed to second place on the all-time list for international appearances, surpassed only by Cristiano Ronaldo. Cape Verde also celebrated a historic achievement, with Deroy Duarte's goal at Miami Stadium making the island nation only the fourth team in World Cup history to score against two former world champions during its debut tournament.
This morning, Colombia booked its place in the Round of 16 after edging Ghana 1-0. Jhon Arias scored the only goal of the match in the first half, and Colombia will now face Switzerland in the next round.
Today, the FIFA World Cup reaches the Round of 16 after several days of spectacular knockout action. Two semi-finalists from the previous World Cup edition, France and Morocco, will be in action on Day 24 of the tournament.
World Cup Schedule – Day 24
- Canada vs. Morocco – 8:00 PM (Houston Stadium) – Antena 1 & AntenaPLAY
- Paraguay vs. France – 12:00 AM (Philadelphia 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 3, 2026
