Despite England heading for home, almost 18 million people watched the World Cup final on Sunday night, with a large chunk of football fans selecting the BBC's coverage16:20, 20 Jul 2026Updated 16:20, 20 Jul 2026The BBC claimed victory in the World Cup ratings war, attracting a peak audience of 15.8 million - dwarfing the 3.4m who tuned in to watch ITV's coverage.‌An average of 13.9 million turned on to see Lamine Yamal and Lionel Messi go head-to-head in the tense finale on the beeb, as Spain sealed glory with an extra-time Ferran Torres goal securing their victory against ten-man Argentina. Data from the Digital-i agency shows ITV's peak audience was 3.4m.‌ITV's coverage in the build-up to the final was widely perceived to be superior. An impressive studio and pundit line-up earned plaudits and, with the BBC not leaving Salford until the latter stages, many expected to see the ratings gap close for the final. But when presented with a choice, most picked the corporation, with Wayne Rooney, Joe Hart and Micah Richards on duty with Gaby Logan from New York.‌Alex Kay-Jelski, Director of BBC Sport, says: "This has been a World Cup we'll never forget, and that's entirely down to the millions of people who chose to experience it with the BBC."Thank you to everyone who watched, streamed, listened, read, shared and joined us throughout the tournament. Whether you were watching at home, following on your phone during the working day, catching up on Football Daily or diving into our new interactive experiences, you made this a summer of football that brought the nation together.‌"Our ambition was to be there for audiences every step of the way, not just during the matches, but every hour in between. We wanted to tell the stories behind the tournament, bring fans closer to the biggest moments and innovate in ways that made the experience richer than ever before. The response has been extraordinary, and we're incredibly grateful that so many people made the BBC part of their World Cup."Despite very little riding on it, Saturday’s ten-goal thriller between England and France saw a peak audience of 11.8 million on BBC One and BBC iPlayer with an average audience of 10.8 million, as the Three Lions secured their best finish in a World Cup since 1966.‌A peak audience of 24 million watched as Argentina knocked out England in a dramatic World Cup semi-final last Wednesday.The BBC managed to avoid further complaints from viewers by showing the entirety of the World Cup controversial final’s half-time show.While many had expected the A-list roster of performers to inject some excitement after a drab opening 45 minutes, audiences witnessed a bizarre mash-up featuring Madonna, Brazilian icons Ronaldo and Ronaldinho, BTS, the Muppets, Ted Lasso, Justin Bieber and Shakira.Article continues belowFIFA had reportedly promised the half-time break would only be two minutes longer than the usual 15 minutes, but it in fact lasted a whopping 27 minutes and 24 seconds - just two minutes less than the amount of time the ball was in play during the first half.Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.