Fox’s coverage of the U.S. Men’s National Soccer Team’s World Cup match against Belgium on July 6 set a new benchmark for soccer broadcasting in the United States, drawing an average of 33.1 million viewers.
The broadcast peaked at 41.03 million viewers during the 9:15 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. ET window, marking the highest audience ever recorded for a soccer match on American television and surpassing the previous record set during Super Bowl LX.
Record‑Breaking Numbers Across Platforms
Fox Sports reported an average audience of 14.465 million for the Round of 16, a 216 percent increase over the previous year, underscoring the growing appetite for the tournament.
The U.S. team was eliminated after a 4‑1 loss, but the match’s viewership remained robust, with top local markets including Kansas City, Boston, Seattle, St. Louis and Philadelphia driving significant engagement.
Spanish‑Language Success
Telemundo continued its momentum, ranking as the No. 1 Spanish‑language network for 25 consecutive days and posting a historic day‑average audience of 3.6 million viewers on July 5, the highest ever for Spanish‑language television.
The 2026 World Cup has become a ratings juggernaut for both Fox Sports and Telemundo/Peacock, with the latter streaming platform also capitalizing on the surge in viewership.