Story perspectives

U.S. 4-1 Defeat to Belgium Breaks Soccer Viewership Record

7/11/2026

Summary

Story summary

The U.S. men’s team’s 4–1 loss to Belgium on July 9, 2026 drew 33.09 million viewers on FOX, the largest single-network soccer telecast.
Viewership peaked at 41.03 million between 9:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET, beating the 40.05 million who watched Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
Fox president Mike Mulvihill said the World Cup’s reach is like a second NFL season, with FOX and Telemundo’s Nielsen audience at 38.3 million, Telemundo linear 5.2 million and streaming 7.1 million.

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Story summary

The U.S. men’s team’s 4–1 loss to Belgium on July 9, 2026 drew 33.09 million viewers on FOX, the largest single-network soccer telecast.
Viewership peaked at 41.03 million between 9:15 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. ET, beating the 40.05 million who watched Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
Fox president Mike Mulvihill said the World Cup’s reach is like a second NFL season, with FOX and Telemundo’s Nielsen audience at 38.3 million, Telemundo linear 5.2 million and streaming 7.1 million.