Spain has returned to Madrid to celebrate their World Cup victory with a trophy parade through the capital’s streets. This follows their 1-0 win over Argentina in the final, secured by Ferran Torres’ extra-time goal, marking Spain’s second men’s World Cup triumph. The match was watched by a peak audience of 15.8 million on one broadcaster and its streaming service.
The final, which saw Spain make a breakthrough in the second half of extra time, denied Lionel Messi a World Cup title in what was likely his final appearance in the tournament. The aftermath of the match was further soured by post-match incidents involving Argentina players.
Post-match controversy and disciplinary actions
Argentina’s performance in the final was described as defensive and ill-disciplined, with the team failing to register a shot on target throughout the 120 minutes of play. Enzo Fernandez received two yellow cards during the match, first for dissent and then for a challenge on Pau Cubarsi. Following the final whistle, Leandro Paredes was also sent off for his angry reaction, and Nahuel Molina confronted Spain players.
The international football governing body is set to investigate the post-match scenes to determine if additional disciplinary action will be taken. The organisation’s code states that disciplinary measures may be imposed on a national team’s association if individual disciplinary sanctions are given to five or more players during a match, or if the team’s actions bring the sport into disrepute.
Despite the team’s display and the controversies, Argentina’s national media defended their side, with headlines calling the team a source of national pride. One newspaper featured a tearful image of Messi with the headline, “They gave it their all, nothing to blame them for.” Another used the line, “Argentina gave it their all – and they’re a source of national pride.”
Spain’s celebrations and media reaction
In contrast, Spain’s media celebrated their team’s victory with joy. Headlines included “The world is ours,” with one publication adding that the win came through “absolute justice.” Other newspapers declared, “The world surrenders to Spain” and called the team “invincible,” noting their 38-game unbeaten run in international football.
The Spanish team’s plane was scheduled to land at Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport at approximately 2:30pm on Monday. An open-top bus parade was planned to commence at 7pm local time, following a period of rest for the players, coaching staff, and federation officials.
Broadcasting success for the World Cup
The World Cup final garnered significant viewership, with an average of 13.9 million people watching the match. The broadcaster captured a 64% share of all television viewing during the game. The final was streamed 11.1 million times on the broadcaster’s streaming service and website, including 2.4 million UHD streams.
Live text coverage on the broadcaster’s website and app received over 18.8 million views, with 14.2 million of those views originating from the UK. The third-place play-off between England and France on Saturday also attracted a peak audience of 11.8 million, with an average of 10.8 million viewers.
Across the entire tournament, the broadcaster achieved an overall reach of 42.8 million through television viewing. World Cup matches were streamed 237 million times on the broadcaster’s streaming service and website, more than double the figures from the 2022 World Cup. Content related to the tournament accounted for 33% of all streams on the platform during the competition.
The broadcaster’s sports website and app recorded 57.2 million unique visitors, and content was viewed 1.7 billion times. Match highlights from the World Cup were streamed 67.3 million times, and a new football channel on a video platform generated 100 million views across various content. Social media clips, interviews, analysis, press conferences, and fan moments accumulated 2.55 billion video views, with one interview featuring an Egypt winger after their elimination attracting 77 million views on one social media platform alone.
The director of the sports broadcaster expressed gratitude to the millions of people who engaged with their coverage, stating that their participation made it a memorable summer of football that united the nation.
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Source: bbc.co.uk
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Charlie Bradshaw is the Senior Football Correspondent at News-GB, covering the Premier League, the EFL and the England national side with ten years of reporting experience. He covered Merseyside football before going national. He holds a degree in Sports Journalism from Liverpool John Moores University and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Liverpool, he watches non-league sides and collects old match programmes. “The back page is only ever half the story.”