More than 3.5 billion people watched some of the 2018 World Cup, with 1.12 billion watching at least one minute of France beating Croatia 4-2 in the final, according to a Fifa report.
A Fifa-commissioned review said the final’s television audience was 516.6 million by the traditional measure of “global average in-home audience”. In addition, more than 300 million people watched on digital devices and out-of-home screenings in public spaces, bars and restaurants.
The global TV audience for the 64-game tournament in Russia averaged 191 million per game – up from 187 million for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Fifa’s research suggests most viewers also watched for longer than they did four years earlier.