Canada’s opening match at the FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022™ is an instant record-breaker, attracting an average audience of 3.7 million viewers on TSN, CTV, and RDS, becoming the most-watched FIFA WORLD CUP™ Group Stage match on record, according to preliminary overnight data from Numeris.
Canada’s FIFA World Cup™ opener also becomes the second-most-watched sports broadcast of the year behind SUPER BOWL LVI, with the match attracting the most live streaming viewers of any broadcast on record for TSN.
Overall, the match reached 8.9 million unique Canadian viewers, with nearly one-in-four Canadians tuning in to watch some or all of the live broadcast on Wednesday afternoon. Audiences peaked at 4.9 million viewers at 3:50 p.m. ET as Canada and Belgium played a tense affair that ended in a 1-0 victory for Belgium, the #2 team on the FIFA men’s world ranking.
Canada’s opening match also led to TSN and CTV ranking as the first and second-most-watched networks of the day on Wednesday, respectively.
Viewers across Canada are connecting with the networks’ complete coverage of the FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022™, as through the first four days of the tournament a total of 13.1 million unique Canadian viewers have tuned in for live game coverage on TSN, CTV, and RDS, accounting for 34% of the Canadian population.
On social media, TSN’s official accounts have attracted significant engagement around the FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022™, with more than 31 million views and nearly 63 million impressions across platforms.
Canada returns to the pitch on Sunday, Nov. 27 against Croatia, with pre-game coverage beginning at 7:45 a.m. ET on TSN and CTV, and 10 a.m. ET on RDS, as well as the networks’ respective websites and apps.