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The latest internet traffic data from UK ISP BT (EE) has revealed that Saturday night’s quarter-final FIFA World Cup 2026 football match between England and Norway triggered another “major surge in streaming traffic” across BT’s broadband network, despite it taking place well outside of normal working hours.
At 12.30am, peak traffic on the ITVX streaming app was 1,915% higher than BT would typically see at the same time on an average Saturday night into Sunday morning, as viewers stayed up to follow the closing stages of the match.
The match also drove an unusually sustained period of demand. Peak ITVX traffic between 10pm and 12.46am was 328% higher than the equivalent peak during an average week, showing the considerable impact of England’s latest late-night fixture on viewing habits.
People watching in Croydon recorded the highest volume of ITVX broadband traffic, followed by Walthamstow and Leighton Buzzard. “The figures underline the extraordinary pull of England at a major tournament, with hundreds of thousands of households prepared to stay awake well beyond midnight to watch the drama unfold live,” said a BT spokesperson.