There is a very simple way to measure the transformation of French rugby. On March 14, 2026, at the Stade de France, a penalty from Thomas Ramos at the last second of a Crunch of 94 points scored (48-46) offered the Blues their second consecutive title in the Six Nations Tournament. Meanwhile, millions of French people held their breath in front of their televisions — many more than for any other program of the year. Five years ago, this scenario was unthinkable. It is now commonplace.
9.8 million viewers on the France – Scotland match in the 2025 final: rugby beats everyone
The numbers don’t lie. In 2025, the coronation of the French XV during the Six Nations Tournament recorded the best television audience of the year: nearly 9.8 million viewers gathered in front of France 2 for the victory against Scotland on March 15. Result: for the fifth consecutive year, it is sport which takes first place in annual audiences.
Even more significantly, the cultural hierarchy was overturned. PSG’s victory in the Champions League final, broadcast unencrypted on M6, attracted “only” 8.7 million viewers – far behind the rugby Blues. This France-Scotland match thus won the title of “most viewed program of 2025”, relegating fiction, entertainment and football to the background.
The audience results must nevertheless be nuanced. On a single free-to-air channel, France-Scotland (9.82M on France 2) was ahead of the PSG-Inter final on M6 (8.67M). In terms of cumulative audience, it is PSG’s victory that dominates – but rugby occupies 4 of the 20 best audiences of the year, compared to only 2 for football outside the World Cup.
8.02 million viewers on France 2 for the France – England match last night at the Stade de France
The figures from yesterday evening are in. The Crunch attracted 8.02 million viewers, or 42.5% audience share among the general public, and 43.8% audience share among women responsible for purchases under 50 (FRDA-50).
For comparison, the France-Ireland match of the Blues as a bonus (France 2, February 5) attracted 7.24 million viewers (39.0% PDA). Wales-France (TF1, February 15), 7.19 million viewers (46.7% audience share). And France-Italy (France 2, February 22), 7.5 million viewers (around 53% PDA at peak). Finally, the France-Scotland match attracted 5.6 million viewers on TF1 on March 7. This means that more than one in two viewers were tuned into rugby because the audience share was 50.3%. There was a peak at 6.4 million people. Let us note the success of this meeting among 15-34 year olds with a 63% audience share.
Last night’s match crushed the competition throughout the day:
France 2 finished first channel of the day with 23.7% market share, ahead of TF1 (17.6%), France 3 (8.4%) and M6 (5.3%).
A social phenomenon, not just sporting
Audiences are just the tip of a deeper sociological iceberg. In a barometer produced by Kantar, shared by the FFR at the end of February 2025, 26.3 million French people said they were interested in rugby – in a country which only has 360,000 licensees. The gap between practitioners and fans is dizzying, and says everything about the nature of the phenomenon: the French XV has become a team of supporters well beyond its natural community.
Fabien Galthié himself, before the start of the 2025 Tournament, had formulated it without false modesty: “The French rugby team is the first French team in the country. » A statement that would have seemed provocative ten years ago. Today, the figures validate it.
Three titles in five years: a golden generation
On a sporting level, the results are dizzying. With their victory this evening, the XV of France offers its third coronation in five years in the Six Nations Tournament, the eighth since the transition to six nations. It is also a first double – two consecutive titles – that the Blues have not achieved since 2006-2007.
The trajectory of this generation is exceptional: three victories in a row against New Zealand between 2021 and 2024, record scores like the 53-10 inflicted on England at Twickenham in 2023. Since November 2024, the series has been further enriched: 30-29 victory against the All Blacks in November, third success in a row against the New Zealanders, a rarity in the history of the Blues.
This evening, for the 2026 Tournament, with 28 trophies in total, the Blues have validated most of their objectives, first and foremost the final victory in a competition in which they were announced as big favorites. The journey has not been without flaws – a historic slap received in Scotland (40-14), never so many points conceded against the Scots under the Galthié era – but this is precisely what distinguishes the great teams: the ability to win even badly.
Dupont, Bielle-Biarrey, Ramos: the faces of a bankable France
Behind the phenomenon, there are men. Antoine Dupont, Olympic gold medalist in rugby sevens at Paris 2024, remains the captain and global face of this French rugby. The three-way pivot organization – Dupont, Jalibert, Ramos as the hub of the game – and offensive talent to spare on the wings constitute the playing model which is the hallmark of the Blues.
This evening, it was Louis Bielle-Biarrey who carried the team on his shoulders: four tries scored in the Crunch, or 29 tries in 27 selections in total, an incredible ratio for a 23-year-old winger. And it was Thomas Ramos – a penalty of more than 40 meters after the siren – who, once again, saved the Blues at the decisive moment.
These individuals are now considerable marketing assets. The passion for the French XV is carried by headliners, first and foremost Antoine Dupont, elected best player in the world in 2021 and become the face of French rugby. The jersey’s partner brands – Adidas since 2024, Altrad, a pioneer in marketing – see the value of their investment increase with each major victory.
A shooting window: the 2027 World Cup
All this enthusiasm converges towards a deadline: the World Cup in Australia in the fall of 2027, the high point of Fabien Galthié’s second mandate. The coach said it soberly after tonight’s coronation: “We still have one tournament left” before the final deadline.
Because the shadow of 2023 still looms. France, the host country, was eliminated in the quarter-finals by the Springboks with a narrow score (28-29), in circumstances which left their mark. The current generation has not yet won the only trophy missing from its list of achievements. The first edition of the Nations Championship, which will extend over the summer and autumn tours, will pit the Blues against all the best nations in the southern hemisphere – so many life-size tests.
In the World Rugby rankings, France is currently ranked 4th in the world, behind South Africa (93.94 pts), New Zealand (90.33) and Ireland (88.89), with 88.40 points. There is room for improvement. The roadmap is clear.
The winning equation: victories + visibility + ecosystem
The success of the XV of France is not the result of chance. It is based on a coherent architecture: a long-term coach (Galthié in office since November 2019), a generation of world-class players who have reached maturity at the same time, and unencrypted broadcasting on public channels which guarantees maximum exposure. Laurent Martinez, director of studies at Kantar Sport, confirms this: the stadiums are full, the atmosphere is there, and the clubs – starting with Stade Toulousain, three-time champion of France and master of Europe – fuel a leading ecosystem.
The model is complete. It remains to be crowned in Australia.
Alain Jouve
Audience data: Médiamétrie / Kantar. World Rugby rankings as of February 9, 2026. Results of the 2026 Six Nations Tournament as of March 14, 2026.
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