YouTube reports record World Cup viewing
July 28, 2026 10.48 Europe/London By Julian Clover


YouTube says the 2026 FIFA World Cup was the most-viewed World Cup in the platform’s history.

The Google-owned video platform said lifetime views for FIFA World Cup-related videos have now passed 200 billion, following the tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico.

During the 2026 World Cup, more than 1.7 billion unique viewers globally watched tournament-related videos on YouTube. More than 550 million watched on connected TVs, underlining the growing role of YouTube on the main household screen.

Official YouTube broadcasts of the final between Spain and Argentina on July 19 drew more than 21 million average minute audience across over 40 markets, peaking at more than 27 million concurrent viewers.

FIFA’s official YouTube channel generated more than four billion views between June 11 and July 19 and added more than 7.5 million subscribers. The channel now has more than 34 million subscribers globally.

YouTube was a preferred platform partner for FIFA during the tournament, carrying official broadcaster content, FIFA programming, behind-the-scenes material and creator-led coverage. It said videos uploaded by its World Cup creator roster, whose combined channels have around 350 million subscribers, generated more than 2.5 billion views globally.

The platform also staged the first YouTube FIFA Creator Cup exhibition match in Central Park, New York, on July 12. Official live streams of the event drew more than 10 million live views across FIFA’s channel, participating creators and official broadcasters.

The figures add to evidence that major sports events are increasingly being consumed across a mix of broadcaster, streaming, social video and creator platforms, with YouTube positioning itself as both a distribution partner and a destination for companion content.