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India’s digital audience turned out in huge numbers for the ‘FIFA World Cup 2026 Final’, with 80.18 million unique viewers watching the match on ZEE5, According to Chrome DM COTT press release today, India’s OTT audience measurement platform.
The final, played on July 19, 2026, saw Spain defeat Argentina 1-0 after extra time at MetLife Stadium. Substitute Ferran Torres scored the winning goal in the 106th minute.
The match is also believed to be Lionel Messi’s last FIFA World Cup appearance, which added to its popularity among Indian football fans.
The match became the largest single-title reach ever recorded by the platform,Among the viewers, 67.57 million (84percent) were men, while 12.61 million (16percent) were women.
The biggest audience came from the 18-24 age group, with 26.84 million male viewers and 6.24 million female viewers. The 25-35 age group also recorded strong viewership.
State-wise, West Bengal topped the chart with 18.92 million viewers, followed by the Northeast (12.20 million) and Kerala (8.08 million).
Karnataka recorded 7.04 million viewers, while Tamil Nadu contributed 5.36 million. The remaining states together accounted for 28.59 million viewers.
One of the biggest highlights of the report was that Connected TV (CTV) attracted 46.07 million viewers, surpassing mobile viewership, which stood at 27.93 million.
Another 6.17 million people watched the match on both mobile and CTV devices, showing that many fans preferred watching the final on larger screens with family and friends.
Commenting on the report, Riya Maity, Business Head at Chrome Digital, said the 80.18 million viewership makes the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final the biggest title measured by Chrome DM COTT so far.
She added that the emotional significance of what is expected to be Lionel Messi’s final World Cup match and the high number of viewers watching on connected TVs reflected the scale of the event and the growing popularity of football in India.
She also noted that the strong viewership from West Bengal, the Northeast and Kerala once again highlighted India’s biggest football-loving regions.
