Zinédine Zidane’s managerial debut with the French national football team drew a massive television audience of 6,8 millions de téléspectateurs on Friday night, easily outdrawing a papal vigil broadcast concurrently on public television, according to audience figures released by Médiamétrie and reported by RMC Sport.
The UEFA Nations League fixture between Turkey and France, played in Izmit and resulting in a 1–0 victory for Les Bleus, captured a record audience for a Nations League match over a five-year span, according to network data.
Friday evening’s broadcast schedule offered a stark contrast in prime-time programming across French networks. While the football match commanded millions of supporters, a festive spiritual gathering featuring Pope Leo XIV at the Stade de France in Saint-Denis drew 2,43 millions de téléspectateurs on France 2, as reported by Eurosport. France Télévisions noted that the religious broadcast peaked at 21h35 local time with 3 millions de téléspectateurs—representing a 21,4% audience share—when the sovereign pontiff appeared on stage amid a program featuring theatrical performances and concerts before an audience of more than 80.000 young people.
Audience Surge Follows Post-World Cup Slump
The strong ratings for TF1 mark a significant rebound for national team broadcasts outside of major tournament cycles. During the autumn 2025 World Cup qualifiers under former manager Didier Deschamps, television audiences for Les Bleus hovered around an average of 4,9 millions de téléspectateurs, climbing marginally to 5 million during a subsequent South American tour. TF1 did not broadcast matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which aired on M6 and beIN Sports, making Friday’s return to the network a major commercial success.
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The football broadcast comfortably outpaced other Friday night entertainment options, finishing ahead of France 3’s telefilm Les Secrets du Finistère, which secured 2,55 millions de téléspectateurs.
Upcoming Schedule
Les Bleus return to competitive action on Monday night for their next Nations League fixture against Belgium, with coverage scheduled to air on TF1. Subsequent group-stage matches include fixtures against Italy on October 2 and a return match against Belgium on October 5.
Worth a look
