6.2 Billion Watch World Cup on beIN SPORTS
The 2026 FIFA World Cup has set records not just on the pitch, but also in terms of viewership. beIN SPORTS, the region’s leading sports broadcaster, recorded a cumulative viewership of 6.2 billion across the 39-day tournament, according to independent audience measurement by Ipsos. This unprecedented viewership was driven by the participation of a record eight Arab nations and high-stakes knockout matches.
Every historic moment on the pitch was matched by one on the screen. When Ferran Torres struck in extra time to crown Spain world champions at the New York New Jersey Stadium, 245.4 million were watching across the region, representing 68.6% of MENA‘s total adult population. Similarly, when Egypt took 2022 champions Argentina to the brink in the Round of 16, 192.6 million watched, a record for a match featuring an Arab team.
In all, 22 matches attracted more than 100 million cumulative viewers on beIN SPORTS, despite many of them kicking off at 01:00, 04:00 and 06:00 MECCA, proving, night after night, that distance and time zones are no barrier to the region’s passion. The region’s record eight representatives drew a cumulative 2.1 billion viewers across their 29 matches, as Egypt reached the Round of 16 for the first time and Morocco marched to a second successive quarter-final in front of 151.6 million viewers.
Mohammed Al Bader, Managing Director of beIN Channels – MENA, said: “This was a Fifa World Cup of unprecedented records, the most goals, most teams, and now, the biggest broadcast audience in beIN’s history. Reaching 6.2 billion cumulative viewers across 39 days tells a powerful story about what football means to this region. We are honoured to have been the exclusive home of every moment of it, and prouder still that when Arab teams made history on the pitch, the entire region experienced it together on beIN.”
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be remembered as a tournament that rewrote the record books, and beIN SPORTS played a significant role in bringing it to the masses. With its record-breaking viewership, beIN SPORTS has cemented its position as the leading sports broadcaster in the MENA region.
