BBC iPlayer data reveals World Cup viewing hotspots across UK

Fans across the United Kingdom have gathered in pubs, watch parties, and living rooms to experience the highs and lows of the World Cup. However, enthusiasm for the tournament has varied significantly by region, according to an analysis of BBC iPlayer viewing figures.

London dominates World Cup viewing

London has emerged as the tournament's viewing capital, with 13 of the top 14 postcode areas for BBC iPlayer viewing located in and around the city. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of UK iPlayer accounts have streamed at least some World Cup content, but this figure rises to almost 80% in the leading areas of Southall, Ilford, and East London.

Outside the capital, Manchester is the highest-ranked postcode district, followed by Luton, Oldham, and Birmingham. The data covers all World Cup content on iPlayer—including live matches, highlights, and analysis programs—from 11 June to 7 July, but excludes games shown exclusively on ITV.

Home nations divide audiences

Matches involving England and Scotland have consistently split audiences along national lines. Scottish households were less likely to watch England matches compared to households in Wales and Northern Ireland, despite both nations failing to qualify for the tournament. The pattern was mirrored in England, where neither of Scotland's two BBC matches—against Haiti and Brazil—made the top five most-watched group-stage games among English postcodes.

England's dramatic 3-2 win over Mexico, which kicked off at 02:00 BST on Monday morning, broke TV records for a live broadcast at that time. However, unlike other games, London's eight inner postcode areas did not tune in live or catch up in the same numbers as the rest of the country. Blackburn, Oldham, Bolton, Birmingham, Bradford, Sunderland, and Wolverhampton all entered the top 10 for that match, while some London areas barely made the top 100.

Kick-off times and star power drive viewership

Aside from home nations' matches, kick-off times and star players significantly influenced audience size. France's opener against Senegal, which aired in a primetime slot (20:00 BST) and featured Kylian Mbappé and Ousmane Dembélé, drew the second-biggest group stage audience across the UK, behind England vs. Ghana. Portugal's meeting with DR Congo and Argentina's clash with Austria were also among the most-watched, boosted by early start times (18:00 BST) and the appeal of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.

The least popular matches generally involved smaller nations and were scheduled at midnight (00:00 BST) or later.

Club loyalties shape regional viewing habits

The data reveals clear signs of club loyalty in certain areas. For example, among the 50 matches broadcast by the BBC up to the Round of 16, Manchester ranked highest relative to other areas for Portugal vs. DR Congo and Norway's meetings with Ivory Coast and Iraq. Portugal's squad includes former Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo and current club captain Bruno Fernandes, while Norway is spearheaded by Manchester City's Erling Haaland.

Similarly, Liverpool was outside the top 40 for overall engagement but rose inside the top 10 for Belgium vs. Egypt and Netherlands' games against Tunisia and Sweden. Egyptian Mo Salah recently concluded a highly successful nine-year stint at Liverpool, and the Dutch squad includes three Liverpool regulars, including captain Virgil van Dijk.

Perhaps the most striking example of club support came in Sunderland, which ranked as the number one postcode area for tuning into Tunisia vs. Netherlands—possibly a result of striker Brian Brobbey breaking into the Dutch team.

Methodology

The figures cover BBC iPlayer streaming from 11 June to 7 July. The map of postcode areas shows the proportion of signed-in iPlayer users who watched BBC World Cup content during that period. The darker the green, the higher the level of interest.