"The madness that is the US election" and "The United States of Anxiety" are how one Russian TV presenter and an Indian newspaper are describing the mood of the election.
After polls closed, Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden spoke at a drive-in election night event at the Chase Centre in Wilmington, Delaware. Photo: 2020 Getty Images
"The atmosphere is electric. Biden and Trump are neck-and-neck, and each is preparing a victory speech," reported Ukraine's Inter TV channel.
Latin America's media saw the US presidential election race turning into a nail-bitingly close finish.
"Trump's victory in Florida buries the prospect of a massacring Democratic triumph," was the headline published by prominent Brazilian daily Folha de Sao Paulo.
On Iran's international Press TV channel, the "threat of civil war" is a prominent talking point, with a presenter saying that, for outside observers, the election "looks very scary".
Chinese state media and other outlets in Asia have also highlighted possible "unrest" in the US, as the final result may not be settled for some time.
In South Asia, "United States of Anxiety," was the headline on the website of The Indian Express newspaper.
"Anxious Americans vote on Election Day with faces masked, stores boarded up," said the headline in Pakistan's Express Tribune.
Germany's Popular tabloid Bild said: "More and more observers who had previously assumed a clear victory for challenger Joe Biden are asking: Can Trump still make it?"
"It is the mother of all battles and the Americans have understood it," wrote a columnist in France's Le Monde.
"The US holds its breath as the vote leaves the country without a master," said Italy's La Stampa newspaper.
Turkey's NTV said: "Biden could not display the performance that was expected", adding that Trump is "happy and strongly believes he will be re-elected".
Donald Trump is "happy and strongly believes he will be re-elected", viewers in Turkey are being told. Photo: AFP
Arab media coverage reflects uncertainty over the outcome, with Saudi-funded Al Arabiya TV saying that it could be days before a result emerges.
Qatari Al Jazeera hosted a studio discussion in Washington with US commentators, one of whom rebuffed Trump's claim that unnamed parties were "trying to steal" the election.
Egyptian newspapers highlighted what they described as "a historic turnout".
And a cartoon in Kenya's Star newspaper depicts the mascots of the Democratic and Republican parties holding up matches to ignite an explosive labelled "US post-election violence threat".
