Screen epics: World Cup 2026 viewing parties around the g...
Guardian staff reporter·2026-06-24·via The Guardian
A drone view shows fans watching a match from kayaks at Olympic Island in Toronto. Photograph: Carlos Osorio/Reuters
A drone view shows fans watching a match from kayaks at Olympic Island in Toronto. Photograph: Carlos Osorio/Reuters
Photographs from across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas show communities gathering to watch the greatest show on earth
Viewing figures for the 2026 World Cup have been massive so far, with footy-mad audiences lapping up the coverage. England’s victory over Croatia had a peak audience of 15.4 million on ITV, but that was nothing compared to Brazil where more than 30 million people watched as the Seleçao beat Haiti. In Japan, the Samurai Blue drew a crowd of more than 20 million to Nippon TV for their match with Tunisia, while crowds watching the game on their phones flooded across Shibuya Crossing to celebrate a goal (pictured below). Of course, the real blockbuster games are still to come: the 2022 World Cup final between Argentina and France reached an average live audience of 571 million viewers globally, according to Fifa.
Jordanian football fans gather at the second-century Roman amphitheatre in the capital, Amman, to watch their national team’s group match against Algeria. A crowd crush later occurred at the city’s Hashemite Square in which one person died and eight people were injured. Photograph: George Saif/AFP/Getty Photograph: George Saif/AFP/Getty Images
Vendors of La Terminal market in Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala, watch the match between Czech Republic and South Africa. Photograph: Johan Ordóñez/AFP/Getty Photograph: Johan Ordóñez/AFP/Getty Images
Bosnia and Herzegovina fans in Sarajevo celebrate with flares after Jovo Lukic scored their goal against Canada. Photograph: Amel Emrić/Reuters Photograph: Amel Emrić/Reuters
Locals in Kumrovec, northern Croatia, watch a projection of the match between England and Croatia on a barn wall. Photograph: Darko Bandić/AP
In the southern Gaza Strip, former Palestinian football player Fadi al-Arawi watches a match streamed on a laptop alongside others in Khan Younis. Photograph: Haseeb Alwazeer/Reuters
Football fans at a church in Bad Cannstatt, Stuttgart, Germany, watch the Group E match between Germany and Curaçao. Photograph: Thomas Niedermüller/Getty Photograph: Thomas Niedermüller/Getty Images
Argentina fans in Dhaka watch the match between Argentina and Algeria on a giant screen. Photograph: Kazi Salahuddin Razu/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Photograph: Kazi Salahuddin Razu/NurPhoto/Shutterstock
People attend a watch party for the game between USA and Paraguay at Intrepid Museum in New York. Photograph: Adam Gray/Getty Photograph: Adam Gray/Getty Images
Turkish fans at the historic Yedikule Fortress in Istanbul revel while watching a giant screen of the Group D match between Australia and Turkey. Photograph: Emrah Gürel/AP
England fans at Boxpark in Wembley, London, react as they watch the match against Ghana. Photograph: Chris Radburn/Reuters Photograph: Chris Radburn/Reuters
USA fans on the waterfront in Seattle watching the nation’s match against Paraguay on a big screen. Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters Photograph: David Ryder/Reuters
Haitian fans perched in a tree in Port-au-Prince watching the match between Scotland and Haiti. Photograph: Odelyn Joseph/AP Photograph: Odelyn Joseph/AP
South Korean fans at Gwanghwamun Square in Seoul react as they watch the match between South Korea and Mexico on big screens. Photograph: Jade Gao/AFP/Getty Images
A watch party at the African Renaissance Monument in Dakar for the Group I match between Senegal and France. Photograph: Anadolu/Getty Images
People at Shibuya crossing in Tokyo, Japan, celebrate Japan’s victory over Tunisia. Photograph: Franck Robichon/EPA Photograph: Franck Robichon/EPA
A drone view shows fans in kayaks and canoes at Olympic Island in Toronto, Canada, watching Germany’s win over Côte d’Ivoire. Photograph: Carlos Osorio/Reuters Photograph: Carlos Osorio/Reuters
A family in Vereeniging, South Africa, watches a match on the opening day of the tournament. Photograph: Themba Hadebe/AP Photograph: Themba Hadebe/AP
USA supporters at the fan zone in Washington as they watch their nation’s big win against Paraguay. Photograph: Eric Lee/Reuters
An aerial view in Buenos Aires showing Argentina fans watching on a giant screen as their team defeats Austria. Photograph: Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Photograph: Luis Robayo/AFP/Getty Images
Swimmers in pool at the Circa Resort & Casino in Las Vegas watching USA defeat Australia. Photograph: John Locher/AP Photograph: John Locher/AP
Scotland fans at the Hydro in Glasgow as they watch their nation’s narrow defeat to Morocco. Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Photograph: Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images
