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STOCKHOLM: Hundreds of thousands of Swedish football fans set their alarms before dawn on Monday to watch Sweden’s opening match of the FIFA World Cup against Tunisia, demonstrating strong national support for the team despite the early kick-off time.
According to audience measurement company MMS, Swedish public broadcaster SVT recorded 949,000 viewers at the start of the second half of the match, which began at 4:00 a.m. local time. The figure reflects television viewers only, while additional audiences who streamed the game via SVT Play have yet to be included in the final viewing statistics.
Sweden rewarded its supporters with an emphatic 5–1 victory over Tunisia in its World Cup debut, delivering a strong start to its campaign and providing fans with an early-morning celebration.
The impressive television audience highlights the significant public interest in the national team’s World Cup journey, with final viewership numbers expected to rise once digital streaming figures become available.
