Spain crowned world champion after defeating Argentina; Antena 1 remained the market leader for the 39th consecutive day and delivered a record-breaking audience

Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY were the top choices for Romanian viewers on the day the new world champion was decided

History was made at MetLife Stadium near New York City, live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY, in a match that rewrote the audience record books. Spain and Argentina delivered a spectacular showdown, at the end of which the European champions were crowned world champions, proving just how dominant they are in international football at the moment.

Spain became the first team to win the trophy while conceding only one goal throughout the tournament, against Belgium in the quarter-finals. La Furia Roja’s dominance continued in the individual awards as well. Rodri received the award for the tournament’s best player, Unai Simón was named best goalkeeper, and Pau Cubarsí was voted best young player at just 19 years old.

The final statistics revealed unwanted records for the team that had held the trophy until last night. Argentina failed to register a single shot on target throughout the 90 minutes, something that had never happened before in a World Cup final. Tournament favorite Lionel Messi ended the competition in tears and returned home without any individual award, while the Golden Boot went to Kylian Mbappé, who scored 10 goals during the tournament.

The World Cup final, broadcast live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY between 22:06 and 01:02, topped the ratings across all audience categories and set a new audience record. Among viewers aged 21–54 in the commercial demographic, Antena 1 achieved a 75.3% market share and 24.4 rating points, while second-placed Pro TV recorded a 7.5% market share and 2.4 rating points. The same hierarchy was maintained among the urban audience, where the match recorded a 65.8% market share and 23.2 rating points, followed by Pro TV with a 7.1% market share and 2.5 rating points. Nationwide, Antena 1 posted a 60.4% market share and 20 rating points, again ahead of Pro TV, which recorded an 8.7% market share and 2.9 rating points. At the peak minute, recorded at 23:29, more than 3.8 million viewers were watching the final that crowned the new world champions.

The figures achieved by Antena 1 with the broadcast of the final represent a new audience record for the Romanian television market. At the last three World Cups, TVR recorded a 50.7% market share and 17.3 rating points in 2022 for Argentina vs. France, a 55.7% market share and 18.7 rating points in 2018 for France vs. Croatia, and a 45.5% market share and 19.7 rating points in 2014 for Germany vs. Argentina.

Compared with EURO finals, Antena 1 also delivered significantly higher figures. In 2024, Pro TV recorded a 60% market share and 18.7 rating points for Spain vs. England, in 2021 a 57.5% market share and 18 rating points for Italy vs. England, and in 2016 a 59.5% market share and 23.7 rating points for Portugal vs. France.

In addition, yesterday Antena 1 led the ratings for the entire day, with 5.3 rating points and a 39.0% market share, as well as during the entire Prime Time interval (19:00–00:00), with 12.3 rating points and a 47.7% market share among viewers aged 21–54.

Throughout the entire broadcast period, AntenaPLAY also set new records, with more than 2 million unique users watching the channels dedicated to the competition. At the same time, the mobile applications recorded five times more downloads than during a normal period. User interest was further reflected by the 4 million hours of World Cup content consumed during the tournament.

The football spectacle continues on Antena 1. The only love that is non-negotiable – Hagi’s Romania! The autumn of great hopes brings four major matches in ten days, from Friday, September 25, to Monday, October 5, exclusively on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY. And in 2030, the World Cup will return exclusively to the Antena universe. The whole world watches Antena!

Source: Fifty5Blue

Copyright: ARMADATA S.R.L.

Data processed by the Antena Group Research Department

The analysis was conducted on the following targets: Urban 21–54, Urban All, and National

Period: 19 July 2026