England’s World Cup Win Over Norway Sets UK Viewership Record

England reached the semi‑finals of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, attracting the highest UK viewership of the tournament to that point.

Jude Bellingham scored twice to eliminate Norway, and the match peaked at 16.8 million viewers on ITV1.

ITV’s coverage averaged 12.7 million viewers, per overnight Barb data from overnights.tv.

The match, which began at 10 p.m. local time at Miami Stadium, surpassed the 15 million‑viewer peak set by England’s opening clash with Croatia last month.

While impressive, the numbers fell short of those recorded in earlier World Cup quarter‑finals involving England.

The 2022 quarter‑final, where England lost to France in Qatar, attracted a peak of 21.3 million viewers. The 2018 quarter‑final in Russia drew a high of 20 million, when England defeated Sweden 2‑0.

England’s 3‑2 comeback victory over Mexico in the round of 16, watched by 9 million Britons during the early hours of 2 a.m. to 4 a.m., became the most‑watched live UK broadcast of the tournament.

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