The Socceroos' third match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 has become the second most-watched broadcast in SBS history, attracting 4.844 million viewers.
The result follows Australia qualifying for the knockout stage of the tournament after drawing with Paraguay 0-0 in San Francisco on 26 June 2026.
The match attracted a total TV average audience of 3.086 million across linear television, and digital streaming, with almost 47% tuning in through SBS On Demand.
The pre-match program garnered 2.277 million viewers, and 2.872 million viewers for the post-match program.
SBS held the top three programs of the day and five of the top ten between live matches and pre- and post-match shows.
“This is a historic FIFA World Cup in many ways,” said SBS Director of Sport, Ken Shipp.
“In our 40 years of broadcasting the tournament, we’ve never seen Australian engagement at this level.
“Australians have embraced both the Socceroos’ campaign and the wider tournament in extraordinary numbers, demonstrating the enduring passion for football in this country.
“We’ve already witnessed some unforgettable football, and with the knockout rounds about to begin, the tournament is entering its most compelling stage.”
It is now the second most-watched broadcast, behind only the Socceroos' World Cup qualifier against Uruguay in 2006, which had 3.416 million viewers across a national average audience, measured before digital streaming was available.
Across the entire tournament, cumulative Total TV reach is now at 13.9 million viewers, meaning almost half of Australia's population has watched some of the tournament.
World Cup matches have consistently ranked in the top ten programmes of the day since the tournament began on 12 June AEST, with 27 matches reaching more than one million viewers each.
SBS Sport's social media platforms recorded more than 369 million video views and 450 million impressions across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X and YouTube.
Hyundai, Hisense, Macca's, Rexona, bet365, Commonwealth Bank and Youi are commercial partners of SBS's World Cup broadcast.
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