Despite the tropical temperatures and the late kickoff time, numerous fans in Germany once again paid tribute to their king of soccer on Saturday evening. During the German national team's second World Cup group match under head coach Julian Nagelsmann (38), according to AGF Videoforschung, around 18.3 million people tuned in. This corresponded to a share of 72.1 percent of the total audience, or in other words: almost three out of four TV viewers witnessed the German Football Association team's last-minute victory.
Among the target audience of 14- to 49-year-olds, the matter was even clearer: here, the nearly six million viewers corresponded to a market share of 78.5 percent. A special feat: the entire top 10 of the evening went to broadcasting network ZDF, according to AGF Videoforschung. This included the pre- and post-match reports as well as the athlete documentary Captain Kimmich.
Significantly Fewer Than the Opening Match
Due to the time difference, the kickoff of the match against Ivory Coast, which was won 2-1 thanks to two late goals by Deniz Undav (29), didn't take place until 10:00 PM local time. Perhaps that's also why the viewing figures didn't quite match those of the opening match. Last Sunday, an incredible average of 23.4 million people tuned into Das Erste for the clear 7-1 victory over Curaçao (kickoff: 7:00 PM). This set all previous TV records for the tournament.
With the second victory in the second match, Germany has already qualified early as group winners for the round of sixteen. The final group opponent waiting for the German national team is Ecuador on June 25 at 10:00 PM. The team is currently ranked third in Group E with one point and is facing elimination from the World Cup after a weak scoreless draw against Curaçao.
