According to Le Parisien, the French team lost 0-2 to Spain in the FIFA World Cup semi-finals, missing out on the final. However, the match set the highest viewership record on French television so far in 2026.

The match was played on the evening of France's National Day. The French team had hoped to reach the FIFA World Cup final for the third consecutive time, but ultimately performed poorly and unorganized, losing 0-2 to Spain, thus ending their dream of three consecutive final appearances.

According to Médiamétrie data, the semi-final between France and Spain, broadcast between 9 PM and 11 PM local time, attracted an average of 20.24 million viewers on M6. The match reached its viewership peak at 9:50 PM, at the end of the first half, with 22.24 million viewers.

The match achieved a 73.1% audience share among all viewers aged 4 and above; among female viewers under 50 responsible for purchasing, the audience share was as high as 86.3%; and among viewers aged 25 to 49, it reached 85.8%.

Unsurprisingly, this became the highest television viewership record in France so far in 2026. Previously, M6's broadcast of France's quarter-final against Morocco last Thursday attracted 16.10 million viewers, with an audience share of 72.8%.

M6 acquired the broadcasting rights for this FIFA World Cup at a high price, reportedly close to 120 million euros. During the semi-final between France and Spain, the highest bid for a 20-second advertising slot on the channel reached 390,000 euros.

Next, M6 will also broadcast three more matches: another semi-final between Argentina and England on Wednesday evening, the FIFA World Cup final on Sunday, and France's third-place play-off match on Saturday. The third-place play-off will also be Deschamps' last match as coach of the French team.

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