The FIFA 2014 World Cup was streamed by 280 million people
A total of 3.2 billion viewers watched the tournament.
FIFA. Oh, FIFA. There are so many things to say regarding football's governing body. But today we're not here to talk about how its top officials are facing corruption charges, or that suspended FIFA president Sepp Blatter is hiding in a bunker somewhere trying to avoid the wrath of Loretta Lynch, the US Attorney General. No, that's not it. It's been nearly a year and a half since the 2014 World Cup came to a close, but FIFA has just now released final viewership numbers from the tournament. Most notably, according to FIFA and Kantar Media research, an estimated 280 million people watched it online or via a mobile device.
In a statement, FIFA said this is a "sign that more and more fans are embracing new technology for sports content." FIFA also revealed one billion people tuned into to the World Cup Final in Brazil, a match which saw Germany lift the trophy over Lionel Messi's Argentina. To put this in perspective, the 2015 Super Bowl, between the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks, had roughly 112 million viewers total -- a record figure for The Big Game. Still, that doesn't come remotely close to FIFA's numbers for the 2014 World Cup Final.
Football, soccer or whatever you choose to call it, is a pretty big deal, folks.
