England-DR Congo Win Peaks at 16.3m on BBC
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- Harry Kane scored twice in the final 15 minutes after DR Congo took a seventh-minute lead, sending England through to face Mexico on Monday
- BBC logged a 14 million average TV audience and 16.3 million peak — its most-watched moment of 2026 — with an additional 10.4 million streams on iPlayer, the BBC Sport website and app
- BBC Sport recorded 20 million-plus global live-page views including 14 million in the UK, its biggest digital day since the previous World Cup
- The World Cup accounted for 34% of all hours streamed on BBC iPlayer during the final week of group-stage play, per the broadcaster's figures
- England will meet Mexico at the Estadio Azteca on Monday at 01:00 BST, the Three Lions' first overnight kick-off of the tournament for UK viewers and a school-night broadcast
- Thomas Tuchel told parents to "write an excuse for school and let them watch," arguing the World Cup comes along every four years while "there's so much school to go to"
- BBC Director of Sport Alex Kay-Jelski called the audience figures "extraordinary," saying the broadcaster is "the place the nation comes together for the biggest sporting moments"
Why it matters: England's England-DR Congo peak of 16.3m sets an enormous benchmark before a 01:00 BST round-of-16 kick-off against Mexico — a school-night slot that even Tuchel is openly telling parents to let their kids stay up for, putting next Monday's overnight ratings and iPlayer stream totals under intense scrutiny.
