Spain, Portugal and Switzerland Reach the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 as Day 22 Tops the Ratings on Antena 1
Austria, Croatia and Algeria eliminated in dramatic fashion on another record-breaking day
Last night at 10:00 PM, live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY, Spain faced Austria on the fifth day of the FIFA World Cup Round of 32, broadcast exclusively across the Antena network. Viewers were captivated by a match that saw Lamine Yamal's Spain finally break their knockout-stage curse, securing their first elimination-round victory in more than 16 years. The Spain–Austria match, together with USA–Bosnia and Herzegovina, whose audience figures were released today, ranked as viewers' top choice, making Day 22 of the FIFA World Cup the ratings leader. Antena 1 also topped the audience rankings yesterday, both in Prime Time and across the entire broadcast day.
Today, all eyes will once again be on the world's biggest sporting event as the final day of the Round of 32 unfolds live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY. At 9:00 PM, Friday of the Titans begins with an entire continent full of hope taking on Salah's Pharaohs in Australia vs Egypt. Then, at 1:00 AM, the reigning world champions face the summer's greatest fairytale in Argentina vs Cape Verde. Finally, at 4:30 AM, the last Round of 32 clash brings together Colombia and Ghana for an all-night football spectacle on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY.
Yesterday's latest Round of 32 fixture featured Spain and Austria. The match, broadcast live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY between 10:00 PM and 11:59 PM, ended in a 3-0 victory for Spain and ranked as viewers' first choice, recording a 36.4% market share and an 8.9 rating among commercial viewers aged 21–54, ahead of Pro TV, which posted a 21.3% market share and a 5.2 rating. The same ranking was maintained among the urban audience, where the match achieved a 31.5% market share and a 9.0 rating, compared to Pro TV's 14.5% share and 4.1 rating. Nationwide, Antena 1 also led with a 27.6% market share and a 7.8 rating, while Pro TV followed with a 14.1% share and a 4.0 rating. At the golden minute (10:38 PM), more than 1.6 million viewers were watching the match on Antena 1.
Antena 1 also led the ratings throughout the entire day, recording a 2.4 rating and a 24.2% market share, as well as across the entire Prime Time slot (7:00 PM–12:00 AM), where it achieved a 6.0 rating and a 28.3% market share among commercial viewers aged 21–54.
The USA–Bosnia and Herzegovina match, which ended 2-0 and whose audience figures were released today, also emerged as the clear ratings leader. Broadcast live between 3:00 AM and 5:07 AM on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY, the match recorded a remarkable 47.9% market share among commercial viewers aged 21–54, far ahead of Pro TV's 15.8%. The same hierarchy was maintained among the urban audience, where Antena 1 posted a 33.8% market share compared to Pro TV's 12.9%, as well as nationwide, with a 28.9% share versus Pro TV's 14.7%.
Last night, Oyarzabal and Porro guided La Roja into the Round of 16 with a commanding 3-0 victory over Austria. Spain opened the scoring in the 34th minute in Los Angeles when Mikel Oyarzabal finished comfortably. Pedro Porro doubled the lead in the 66th minute with a powerful header, while Oyarzabal completed the scoring in the 89th minute. Oyarzabal's opening goal ended Spain's long-standing knockout-stage drought, giving the Spaniards their first goal in a World Cup knockout match in more than 16 years. Their previous knockout goal came in the 2010 FIFA World Cup Final in South Africa, when Andrés Iniesta scored the extra-time winner against the Netherlands to secure Spain's first world title. Not only did Oyarzabal make history last night, but so did Lamine Yamal (18) and Pau Cubarsí (19). Spain became only the second national team in FIFA World Cup history to field two Under-20 players in a knockout-stage match. The previous instance dates back to 1958, when Brazil started 17-year-old Pelé alongside 19-year-old Mazzola.
The drama continued after midnight, live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY, with Portugal's dramatic 2-1 victory over Croatia. Croatia thought they had forced extra time with a goal in the final seconds, only for it to be ruled out, sending Portugal through to the Round of 16. Croatia had taken the lead in Toronto in the 53rd minute through Ivan Perišić. Portugal responded in the 68th minute when Cristiano Ronaldo converted a penalty to level the score. Gonçalo Ramos then headed home the winner in the fourth minute of stoppage time (90+4). The drama reached its peak in the 90+13th minute, when Croatia had a goal disallowed. No fewer than three goals were ruled out during the match.
Cristiano Ronaldo once again entered the history books following this performance. According to Squawka, the Al-Nassr forward became the first player ever to score at least 25 goals combined across FIFA World Cups and UEFA European Championships. It was Ronaldo's 976th career goal, bringing him even closer to the historic milestone of 1,000 career goals.
The goal also marked Ronaldo's first-ever World Cup knockout-stage goal after 582 minutes played in such matches. By comparison, his long-time rival Lionel Messi needed 756 knockout-stage minutes before scoring his first World Cup knockout goal, according to statistical records.
Earlier this morning, Switzerland defeated Algeria 2-0 in a comfortable victory for Murat Yakin's side, live on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY. Breel Embolo and Dan Ndoye scored the goals that secured Switzerland's place in the Round of 16, where they will face either Ghana or Colombia.
FIFA World Cup Round of 32 – Final Day Schedule
Live today on Antena 1 and AntenaPLAY
- Australia vs Egypt – July 3, 9:00 PM
- Argentina vs Cape Verde – July 4, 1:00 AM
- Colombia vs Ghana – July 4, 4:30 AM
Source: Fifty5Blue
Copyright: ARMADATA S.R.L.
Audience data processed by the Antena Group Research Department.
Analysis based on the following targets: Urban 21–54, Urban Total, and National.
Reporting period: July 2, 2026.
