World Cup Opening: Absolute Audience Leader in Romania. Antena Becomes the First Commercial Television Network in the Country to Broadcast the FIFA World Cup™
Everyone at Antena! This was how the FIFA World Cup™ kicked off last night on Antena 1. The 2026 opening ceremony was the absolute audience leader, both with the first match, Mexico – South Africa, and with all the special programs dedicated to the FIFA World Cup 2026™. Compared with the previous World Cup tournaments, the first match of the FIFA World Cup™ 2026 started on Antena 1 with an increase of more than 47% compared to the last World Cup (Qatar 2022) and 61% compared to the previous World Cup held in Russia (2018).
Thus, during the opening match Mexico – South Africa, broadcast between 22:02 and 00:04, Antena 1 was the clear audience leader among the commercial target audience aged 21–54, achieving 8.7 rating points and a 39.9% market share, followed by Pro TV with 3.7 rating points and a 17.1% market share. Across the entire country, Antena 1 — the first commercial television network in Romania to broadcast the FIFA World Cup™ — also ranked first in audience ratings, with an average of 7.9 rating points and a 29.2% market share, followed by Pro TV with 3.4 rating points and a 12.5% market share.
In fact, all special programs on Antena 1 dedicated to the FIFA World Cup were clear audience leaders during their respective broadcast slots.
The Toată lumea la Antena studio, featuring Dan Pavel, Florin Răducioiu, Bogdan Stelea, Olivia Păunescu, and Ştefan Bănică, as well as the first-ever opening ceremony broadcast from Mexico, aired last night between 20:29 and 22:01 and topped the audience rankings with 6.4 rating points and a 26.8% market share, followed by Pro TV with 5.3 rating points and a 22.4% market share. These were also the most-watched opening events in the history of the last three World Cup tournaments.
Mexico defeated South Africa last night in the opening match of the World Cup, played in the first round of Group A, with a score of 2–0. The match at Estadio Azteca was decided by goals from Quinones and Raúl Jiménez, with the former making history in Mexico City. The 2026 World Cup opening match marked a historic first at the most prestigious international football tournament. Julián Quiñones’ goal in the 9th minute of the match between Mexico and South Africa was the first goal in an opening World Cup match scored by a player born outside the country he represents.
Starting at 05:00, at Akron Stadium in Zapopan, near Guadalajara, the second Group A match took place. South Korea faced the Czech Republic and achieved a spectacular comeback. After Krejčí opened the scoring for the Czechs in the 59th minute, In-Beom Hwang, Feyenoord player, and Hyeon-Gyu Oh managed to overturn the scoreline and secure victory for South Korea. Despite many missed chances and a disallowed goal, the Czech team fought until the final whistle but had to accept defeat and their first setback in the group stage.
The World Cup continues today on Antena 1 with the Toată lumea la Antena studio and the second opening ceremony, from Canada, starting at 20:30, followed by the first match, Canada – Bosnia, at 22:00. From 02:30, viewers can watch the Toată lumea la Antena studio and the third opening ceremony, from the USA, followed by the USA – Paraguay match at 04:00.
Source: Fifty5Blue
Copyright: ARMADATA S.R.L.
Data processed by the Research Department of Antena Group.
The analysis is conducted on the following target groups: 21–54 Urban, Urban All, and National.
Date: June 11, 2026
