The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup captivated audiences from the opening match through the championship, delivering record-breaking viewership across television and streaming platforms. Throughout the tournament, fans tuned in for historic matchups, helping make this the most-watched FIFA World Cup ever on U.S. television while demonstrating the continued power of live sports.
33.53M
Combined audience for U.S.–Bosnia and Herzegovina
The U.S. men’s national team’s win over Bosnia averaged 24.43 million viewers on FOX and another 9.1 million on Telemundo, for a combined audience of 33.53 million. That made it the most-watched soccer match ever broadcast in the United States.
15.09M
Average FOX audience for the World Cup semifinals
The two semifinal matches averaged 15.09 million viewers on FOX, up 131% from the 2022 tournament and making this the most-watched World Cup semifinal round ever on English-language television in the United States. Telemundo and Peacock averaged an additional 10.6 million viewers across the semifinal match windows.
150%
Increase in Spanish-language World Cup final viewership
Spain’s victory over Argentina drew a preliminary audience of 22.6 million viewers across Telemundo and Peacock, a 150% increase over the 2022 final. The match is on track to become the most-watched FIFA World Cup final in Spanish-language media history.
Source: FOX, Sports Media Watch, TheWrap
