While the history-making run of Canada Soccer’s men’s national team at FIFA World Cup 2026 came to an end on Saturday afternoon, Canadians were watching the action in record numbers, with an average audience of 5.4 million viewers on Bell Media’s TSN, RDS, CTV, Noovo and Crave, according to preliminary data from Numeris cited by Bell Media in a press release Monday.
Surpassing previous Canadian viewership records, the Canada vs. Morocco match becomes the most-watched Canada match ever at the FIFA World Cup, and the biggest non-final match on record, according to Bell Media.
Overall, according to the viewership data cited by Bell Media, 11.7 million unique Canadian viewers tuned in for some part of the match, which saw audiences peak with 7.3 million viewers at 2:41 p.m. ET as Morocco led 1-0 and Canada searched for an equalizer. (Morocco eventually defeated Canada 3-0 after scoring two late goals.) Streaming audiences for the match were up more than 500 per cent compared to the Round of 16 opener in the 2022 World Cup tournament, Bell Media said.
“The phenomenal performance of Canada’s Men’s National Team at FIFA World Cup 2026 demonstrated the unifying power of sports, and created moments that Canadian fans will remember forever,” Shawn Redmond, vice president of Bell Media Sports, said in Bell Media’s press release. “It’s been an honour for all of us at Bell Media to follow this team in the years leading up to this tournament, and this viewership reflects the deep connection the players have forged with fans across the country. We’ll continue to tell the story of FIFA World Cup 2026 across all platforms as this thrilling tournament builds towards its conclusion.”
Citing data from June 11 to July 5 inclusive, Bell Media’s Monday press release said a total of 28.2 million unique Canadian viewers had watched FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage so far on TSN, RDS, CTV, Noovo and Crave. In addition, the tournament’s Round of 32 matches had attracted an average audience of 1.9 million viewers, Bell Media said.
Between June 11 and July 5, Canadians consumed more than 274 million hours of FIFA World Cup 2026 live matches, an increase of more than 150 per cent compared to the 2022 tournament through the Round of 16, according to Bell Media.
In addition, Saturday, July 4 saw the biggest single-day engagement yet for FIFA World Cup 2026 content on TSN social media accounts, including more than 30 million video views and nearly 65 million impressions, Bell Media added.
Screenshot of Canada Soccer’s men’s national team from Bell Media’s website
