Canadian FIFA World Cup TV ratings just blew out the Stanley Cup Final
Canadian TV audiences are all-in on the 2026 FIFA World Cup so far.
It’s not often that you see soccer put up better ratings than hockey in Canada, but the spectacle of the World Cup and an underwhelming Stanley Cup Final matchup between two southern U.S. teams created a perfect storm this year.
Canada’s World Cup opener against Bosnia and Herzegovina last Friday drew more than double the TV audience in the country than Sunday’s Stanley Cup clincher.
According to Bill Brioux, a total of 3.9 million Canadians tuned into Canada’s World Cup match in Toronto on TSN and CTV, while 1.8 million watched the Carolina Hurricanes defeat the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 6 to win the Stanley Cup on Sportsnet and CBC.
Streaming numbers were not included.
Canada's World Cup opening draw vs. Bosnia and Herzegovina drew 3.9 million viewers on linear channels, according to @BillBriouxTV.
That figure is twice the audience for Sunday's deciding game of the Stanley Cup Final (1.8m).
Streaming not included.https://t.co/as9k7oKqS3
— Ben Steiner (@BenSteiner00) June 16, 2026
This year’s Stanley Cup Final was not as interesting from a Canadian perspective. The Golden Knights and Hurricanes don’t have as big a draw for Canadian fans, and this year’s matchup lacked an obvious team to cheer for.
The Edmonton Oilers were able to provide national intrigue for both the 2024 and 2025 Stanley Cup Finals, but this year just didn’t seem to resonate as much in the country. It also didn’t help that the World Cup got underway midway through the final.
The World Cup has provided an easy outlet for Canadians to tap into some national pride and witness sporting history for the country. Their opener ended in a 1-1 draw with Bosnia and Herzegovina, giving Canada its first-ever World Cup point.
Canadian TV audiences were interested in more than just the Canada game, however, as Brioux also reported sparkling numbers for some of the other group stage games this past weekend:
- Qatar vs. Switzerland: 1.37 million
- Australia vs. Türkiye: 1.47 million
- Germany vs. Curaçao: 1.58 million
- Netherlands vs. Japan: 1.86 million
- Haiti vs. Scotland: 1.97 million
- Brazil vs. Morocco: 2.33 million
Canada still has two more FIFA World Cup group-stage matches to get through, with the next coming on Thursday against Qatar in Vancouver. It remains to be seen if the TV numbers will hit the same highs as Canada’s opener.