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Players of Canada celebrate after Stephen Eustaquio scored the opening goal during a World Cup round of 32 soccer match between South Africa and Canada in Inglewood, Calif., near Los Angeles, Sunday, June 28, 2026. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Bell says Canada-South Africa World Cup knockout match averaged 5.2 million viewers

Jun 29, 2026 | 4:52 PM

TORONTO — Canada’s 1-0 win over South Africa drew an average audience of 5.2 million viewers, Bell Media announced Monday.

The telecommunications company said in a release that 11.8 million unique Canadian viewers tuned into Sunday’s Round of 32 match at some point across TSN, RDS, CTV, Nuovo and Crave.

Bell said the game was the most-watched knockout-round match, outside of tournament finals, in Canadian history.

Viewership peaked at 8.2 million viewers when midfielder Stephen Eustaquio scored the winning goal in second-half stoppage time.

The match was Canada’s first in the knockout stage of a World Cup.

Canada is set to face the winner of Monday night’s game between the Netherlands and Morocco in the Round of 16 on Saturday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 29, 2026.

The Canadian Press