Zidane effect boosts the French team's TV audience to 6.39 million

The exceptional audience for the Belgium‑France match, the second meeting of Zinédine Zidane at the helm of the Blues, confirms the Zidane effect and boosts the television visibility of the national team, with 6.39 million French viewers on TF1 this Monday evening and shows the public’s enthusiasm for the Nations League.

Audience for the Belgium‑France match

For the second meeting of Zinédine Zidane at the helm of the Blues, the Belgium‑France Nations League match gathered 6.39 million viewers on TF1 Monday evening, representing a 31.5 % audience share according to Médiamétrie. This figure exceeds the average of matches from the previous edition of the competition.

TF1 hailed this result, calling it a “new card for the Blues”, adding in its communication a “very large lead” with an audience peak reaching 7.4 million viewers. This performance confirms TF1’s dominant position in broadcasting national football.

Outlook for the next clash

Just like the previous Friday against Turkey, where the Blues had won 1‑0, Zinédine Zidane’s France team again attracted more than six million viewers this Monday, confirming the consistency of the audience. The match against Turkey ended with a 1‑0 victory, boosting supporters’ enthusiasm.

Olise propels the Blues to victory over Belgium

During the highly anticipated first match of Zinédine Zidane at the helm of the Blues, three days earlier, 6.82 million people had followed the game, representing a 37.7 % audience share, setting a five‑year record for a Nations League match.

According to colleagues at L’Équipe, the previous Nations League matches of the Blues in 2024‑2025 averaged five million viewers. This audience level far exceeds the usual expectations for this type of fixture.

It remains to be seen whether this momentum will continue on Friday, during Zinédine Zidane’s first home match as manager. At 20:45, the Blues will face Italy at the Stade de France, the Italians having been beaten 2‑0 by Belgium on Friday but having won 4‑1 against Turkey on Monday.

Zidane changes nine starters and leads France to victory

The monitoring of television audience will therefore be decisive in measuring the lasting impact of the Zidane effect on Nations League broadcasts. The figures will be analyzed as soon as the broadcast ends to adjust programming strategies.