The World Cup final is like no other sporting event in terms of its ability to attract a significant international audience from around the world. Football's popularity around the world means it's the last match supporters tune in to watch on every continent. The major domestic European leagues, primarily the English Premier League, have deepened the role of watching football matches in everyday viewing. The 2022 World Cup was no different, with the final attracting another huge audience
How many people watch the world cup final?
Viewing figures for World Cup matches, including the final, have been on a steady upward curve since 2010, after a slight dip at the 2006 tournament. According to official FIFA figures, 3.575 billion people watched the matches at the 2018 World Cup, with 1.12 billion tuning in for France's final victory over Croatia in Moscow. Traditional 'home' television viewing figures were 3.262 billion (2018) and 309.7 million (2018) split between general household channels and digital-first streaming options. Early data from FIFA on the 2022 World Cup suggests further growth, with records broken in group stage and round of 16 fixtures, and almost all countries seeing their internal viewing figures rise from 2018. Figures for the 2022 World Cup final saw Argentina beat France on penalties and stream 7.1m, with 14.9 million people tuning in to the match in the UK, confirmed by the BBC. In Australia, the match attracted an average TV audience of 501,000 and streamed 389,000 - not bad considering it was played at 2am local time in Sydney.
World Cup Final vs. Super Bowl and Champions League Final
The real strength of the World Cup final as a television spectacle is likely to play out against the other major TV sporting events on the calendar. FIFA's estimate of more than a billion viewers watching the 2018 World Cup final beats the NFL Super Bowl by nearly nine times. Data from Nielsen Media Research indicates that 91.6 million US-based viewers watched the 2021 Super Bowl between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Kansas City Chiefs, with a worldwide figure of 140m. Compared to the UEFA Champions League final, which is widely regarded as the biggest game in club football, the World Cup wins by another huge margin. Data from Statista shows global audiences for the five Champions League finals from 2016 to 2021, which included powerhouses Spain, Italy, England, Germany and France, averaged 76.1m. The last audience in World Cup history. If the 2022 final continues its expected boom, a worldwide total of 1.5 billion does not seem unrealistic. The 2018 figure was 1.12 billion, up from 2014's total of 1.01 billion, and it surpassed the 1 billion mark for the first time since FIFA began measuring the figures. The 2006 tournament saw the final drop off, but only based on individual national numbers, while the 2010 final in South Africa was watched by 909 million people. Barcelona's Robert Lewandowski is currently serving a three-match ban and will be hoping that the lead he has built up in the Golden Boot table will return to top spot in February. Espanyol's Joselu is four goals behind Lewandowski, while four players are one behind. That group includes last season's top scorer, Real Madrid's Karim Benzema. He could make a dent in Lewandowski's lead while the Polish player waits on the sidelines. Apart from Benzema, Real Madrid have few players ready to challenge Lewandowski, with Federico Valverde and Vinicius Junior among the Merengues' top scorers. Below is the updated list of top scorers in La Liga as the stars compete for the prestigious Pichichi Trophy at the end of the season. As with major international tournaments, assists and minutes played are tiebreakers.
A chance to win the Golden Boot in La Liga
Who do the sportsbooks think will win Spain's top scorer title? Benzema is understandably ahead of the pack after his stellar season, but he has company on the list. Most sportsbooks have new Barcelona striker Robert Lewandowski as joint-favourite with Benzema. The German has scored at least 30 league goals in five of his last seven Bundesliga seasons at Bayern Munich. Last year's runner-up Iago Aspas would be the biggest snub in the betting market. The Celta Vigo talisman is 34-years-old but has been a model of consistency, finishing with double-figure goals in seven consecutive league seasons.
La Liga Pichichi Trophy 2021/22
While Karim Benzema may have competition to top the table this coming season, nobody can take away his incredible 2021/22 campaign. A season to remember propelled the Frenchman to his first Ballon d'Or, scoring nine more goals than anyone else and collecting one fewer assist than the league leader. Ironically, the season's assist leader was led by Vinicius Jr. thanks to Benzema receiving eight of Vinicius' 13 assists.
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