U.S. Broadcasts Set Record Viewership for the 2026 FIFA World Cup

Across the group stage, Fox Sports averaged 5.05 million viewers per match (up 92 % from 2022), while Telemundo-Peacock averaged 4.6 million (up 122 %). Combined, the two networks delivered 9.65 million viewers per game, a 105 % increase over the 2022 tournament. The United States-Bosnia-Herzegovina round-of-32 match drew 24.43 million on Fox and 9.1 million on Telemundo, a 33.53 million combined audience that eclipses any prior U.S. soccer telecast. Mexico’s knockout-stage games surpassed 10 million cross-platform viewers, with the Mexico-Ecuador match reaching 18.9 million (9.7 M streaming, 8.7 M linear).

Fox, Telemundo combine to average nearly 10 million viewers per World Cup Group Stage match

Telemundo’s surge follows a multi-year plan that added commentators from across the Spanish-speaking world, secured on-pitch reporters, and introduced split-screen and vertical-video formats. Streaming on Peacock accounted for 44 % of its group-stage audience, a rise from 28 % in 2022. Fox kept cameras on the field during hydration breaks, a contrast to its commercial interruptions that some fans deem disruptive. Out-of-home viewing—bars, watch parties, and public venues—contributed roughly 25 % of total U.S. ratings, with some matches approaching a 40 % share.

Fox, Telemundo combine to average nearly 10 million viewers per World Cup Group Stage match

Nielsen data show 20 % of Telemundo’s World Cup viewers list English as their primary language, while only 20 % of the U.S. population identifies as Hispanic. This indicates a sizable bilingual and Spanish-dominant audience. The United States-Bosnia match peaked at 31.88 million viewers in a single quarter-hour, surpassing the 2015 Women’s World Cup final (22.3 M). Overall, English-language viewership for the tournament now exceeds any prior U.S. soccer broadcast.

NPR

Miguel Lorenzo, senior vice president of Telemundo Deportes, said the tournament “is language-agnostic, it’s universal,” noting that half of U.S. viewers now watch the World Cup in Spanish despite a 20 % Hispanic share of the population. Joaquin Duro, executive vice president of NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises, described the 122 % growth as “a surprise in some sense, but we planned for it,” and expressed satisfaction with linear ratings that are “up 73 % versus 2022.” Fox Sports highlighted the Bosnia match as “the largest English-language soccer audience in U.S. history.” Nielsen’s expanded out-of-home sample, added in 2025, now captures viewership from bars and rural venues, providing a fuller picture of audience size.

Hollywood Reporter

• “This is the most watched World Cup ever in Spanish language in this country. The numbers are just mind blowing, really,” — Miguel Lorenzo, Telemundo Deportes SVP

NPR

• “When you cut to ads, you lose the stress, you lose the joy, the anticipation.” — Trevor Noah, comedian and host

NPR

• “I was expecting to see our numbers grow. Was I expecting 122 percent over 2022? Probably not,” — Joaquin Duro, NBCUniversal Telemundo EVP

Hollywood Reporter

• “Pretty much every bar that you see has a game going, and it’s definitely made a big difference,” — Brian Fuhrer, Nielsen SVP

World Cup’s Biggest Ratings Boost Comes Outside the Home

• “That's the best part for everybody,” — Graciela Reyes, fan at Café Brasil

NPR

Fans such as Giselle Rosas and Graciela Reyes credit the bilingual coverage for “a night-and-day difference” in excitement, suggesting the tournament is prompting non-Spanish speakers to explore the language. The record ratings reinforce soccer’s ascent as a mainstream U.S. sport and signal advertisers a newly expansive, multicultural audience.

NPR

Audience figures differ by measurement method: Nielsen’s linear counts versus Adobe Analytics’ streaming tallies produce separate linear and digital totals (e.g., Mexico-Ecuador’s 8.7 M Nielsen vs 9.7 M Adobe). No single, universally accepted combined number exists for every match, leaving exact cross-platform totals partially ambiguous.

Streaming audience surpasses linear for Mexico’s latest World Cup match on Telemundo

The round of 16 pits the United States against Belgium and Mexico against England, both primetime fixtures expected to sustain the viewership surge. Networks plan to continue leveraging split-screen coverage, streaming integration, and out-of-home promotions to capture the expanding soccer audience.

USMNT-Bosnia soars past previous viewership highs in preliminary tally