The United States men's national team officially broke the record for the most-watched soccer telecast in US history twice in a row, despite a disappointing 4-1 last-16 loss to Belgium on Monday. According to Nielsen Media research, the match averaged 33.086 million viewers on Fox, with the audience peaking at 41.033 million during the 9.15-9.30pm Eastern time window.
Record-Breaking Viewership
Fox, the English-language World Cup rights holder in the US, reported that this was the most-watched domestic telecast of any kind on any network since Super Bowl LX drew 125.6 million viewers in February. It also marked the most-watched non-NFL telecast since Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
The USMNT had previously set a new viewership record in their last-32 win over Bosnia and Herzegovina, which attracted 26.4 million English-language viewers.
Broader World Cup Interest
Americans are tuning in for more than just the home team. Nielsen Media research confirmed that 21.742 million viewers watched the Mexico vs England last-16 match on Fox, making it the most-watched non-USMNT World Cup telecast in English-language US history. Including audiences from Telemundo and Peacock, the match averaged 44.84 million viewers, surpassing the New York Knicks' NBA Finals Game 5 (24.5 million) and rivaling the AFC and NFC championship games (48.6 million and 46.1 million respectively).
