The US men’s national soccer team achieved a remarkable milestone by breaking the record for the most-viewed soccer broadcast in the United States not once, but twice.
Despite the disappointment of their 4-1 defeat to Belgium in the last-16 round on Monday, the pregame buzz drew in 33.086 million viewers, as reported by Nielsen Media research. The viewership peaked at 41.033 million during the time slot from 9:15 to 9:30 PM Eastern Time.
Fox, the network that holds the English-language broadcasting rights for the World Cup in the US, announced that this telecast was the most-watched program of any kind on any network since Super Bowl LX, which attracted 125.6 million viewers in February. Furthermore, it was the highest-rated non-NFL broadcast since the seventh game of the 2016 World Series.
Previous Records and Viewer Trends
Earlier in the tournament, the USMNT had already set a new record with their last-32 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which garnered an English-language audience of 26.4 million.
Americans are increasingly tuning in to watch not only their national team but also other matches. Nielsen Media research indicated that 21.742 million viewers tuned in for the Mexico vs. England last-16 game on Sunday, making it the most-watched World Cup telecast in English in US history that did not involve the USMNT. When including audiences from Telemundo and Peacock, the match averaged an impressive 44.84 million viewers.
Comparative Viewership Insights
The viewership numbers for the Mexico vs. England match surpassed the New York Knicks’ title-clinching Game 5 victory in the NBA Finals, which attracted 24.5 million viewers. Additionally, it rivaled the viewership figures for the AFC and NFC championship games, which averaged 48.6 million and 46.1 million viewers, respectively.
