FIFA projected as many as 1.5 billion viewers for the clash – a figure that would match the record set by the Argentina vs France 2022 World Cup final, the most-watched single sporting event in history.
READ: Where was the Bafana that qualified?
To put that into perspective, Super Bowl LX in February drew 125.6 million viewers in the United States – the second highest figure ever recorded for the game. One Bafana Bafana match attracted roughly eight times that audience globally.
🚨 INSANE STAT! 🤩
The Shakira World Cup opener attracted 10x as many viewers as the Bad Bunny Super Bowl half time show. 💃🕺
Football is just the BIGGEST sport in the world. ⚽️ pic.twitter.com/m7QhhJDVvp
— Polymarket FC (@PolymarketFC) June 12, 2026
The numbers make American sport look almost boutique by comparison. The 2025 World Series Game 7, hailed as the most-watched baseball match in 34 years, drew 51 million combined viewers across the United States, Canada and Japan. The full seven-game series averaged just 16.1 million US viewers.
Watch: Mudau reacts to Zwane red
FIFA president Gianni Infantino summed it up bluntly ahead of the tournament. “The World Cup has 6 billion viewers,” he said. “A World Cup is 104 Super Bowls in a month.”
Photo: REUTERS/Pawel Kopczynski
