Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleEngland secured a 2-1 comeback victory against DR Congo in the World Cup 2026 round of 32, with captain Harry Kane scoring both goals after his side initially fell behind. The match garnered the BBC's largest television audience of the year, attracting over 16.3 million viewers for the knockout encounter. An average of 14 million viewers watched the game, complemented by 10.4 million streams on BBC iPlayer, surpassing ITV's peak of 15.4 million for England's opening match against Croatia. Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC's director of sport, described the audience figures as “extraordinary”, highlighting the BBC's role as the nation's hub for major sporting moments. England will now progress to face Mexico, with the BBC scheduled to cover this upcoming game and holding the first pick for broadcasting the two semi-finals, while both BBC and ITV will air the final. In fullEngland’s World Cup win over DR Congo delivers biggest TV audience of the year for BBC as viewing figures revealedMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
Over 16 million tune in to watch England’s comeback win against DR Congo
Stay up to date with notifications from The IndependentNotifications can be managed in browser preferences.AllNewsSportCultureLifestyleEngland secured a 2-1 comeback victory against DR Congo in the World Cup 2026 round of 32, with captain Harry Kane scoring both goals after his side initially fell behind. The match garnered the BBC's largest television audience of the year, attracting over 16.3 million viewers for the knockout encounter. An average of 14 million viewers watched the game, complemented by 10.4 million streams on BBC iPlayer, surpassing ITV's peak of 15.4 million for England's opening match against Croatia. Alex Kay-Jelski, the BBC's director of sport, described the audience figures as “extraordinary”, highlighting the BBC's role as the nation's hub for major sporting moments. England will now progress to face Mexico, with the BBC scheduled to cover this upcoming game and holding the first pick for broadcasting the two semi-finals, while both BBC and ITV will air the final. In fullEngland’s World Cup win over DR Congo delivers biggest TV audience of the year for BBC as viewing figures revealedMore bulletinsThank you for registeringPlease refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in
